Callicantzaros

A type of vampire within Greek folklore. All children born in the week between Christmas and New Years were considered unlucky, and believed to be destined to become vampires after their death. These vampires, the callicantzaros, were distinct in that their attacks were limited only to Christmas Day and the 12 days following. During this time period, the callicantzaros would seize people and tear them apart, and when the time was up, they would fall back into a remote netherworld until the next year.

Also called Kallikantzaroi or Callicantzari, these are faeries native to Greece and Italy. They are seasonal faeries, preferring to roam the Earth in wintertime, especially around the Yule and Christmas festivities. They have been said to each possess different animal feet and to ride chickens, and they celebrate Yule in their little groups. However, people are generally afraid of them, calling them monsters. In ancient Greece, a holiday called Sacaea was inherited from the Persians, and this winter holiday had Zeus defeating Kronos and the Titans. During this time, the Callicantzaroi roamed for twelve days destroying property and stealing the souls of newly-born children. Parents protected their infants by covering them with garlic sachets, and burning a log that generated smoke the Callicantzaroi hated, as their senses of smell were very acute.