Traveling Strangers Around the World

In northern alps, stories have been told for generations about the travelling stranger known as belshnickel. He is said to be one of the helpers of saint nicholas and dispenses his own form of christmas cheer with physical abuse. According to the legend, which spans centuries in both germany and the american state of pennsylvania, he would scatter nuts and sweets on the floor for the children to lect. And then, with their backs to him, he would lash out with a switch made of hazel or birch, whipping their backs and leaving red marks. Another travelling stranger from the same region, one who has seen a rise in popularity around the globe,