When you think of Christmas in Germany, enchanting Christmas markets, Stollen and idyllic winter scenery spring to mind. You would not, however, picture women getting their bottoms slapped with an animal horn. But in the country’s island of Borkum, the ‘Klaasohm’ festival has included just that. What’s more, it is a practice which has gone on for 200 years.
Taking place on the evening of 5th December, the festival in the North Sea island would feature masked men running after women and smacking them on the bottom with a cow horn. But the group which organises the festival, the Borkumer Boys Association, has now decided that this tradition should come to an end.
Following last month’s NDR report which showed the violent acts, the association has reportedly said that they will ban any violence towards women from the festival. The association said: “We as a community have clearly decided to leave this aspect of the tradition behind us.” They added that they want to “continue to focus on what really makes the festival: the solidarity of the islanders.”
The Borkumer Boys Association selects six of the masked men known as “Klaasohms” to perform the acts, who are dressed up as mythical creatures.
In the video report by the broadcaster NDR, a woman is shown being held by a man whilst men wearing masks made out of sheepskin and bird feathers violently strike the woman with a cow horn. The men chant “hey, hey, hey” with excitement as the women take the beating; a scene mirroring teenagers egging on a bully during a school fight. One woman interviewed by the broadcaster said the pain she experienced at the annual festival was so bad she was reduced to tears whilst another said she was full of bruises.
However the Borkum group said the violent use of cow horns was part of the festival during the past “and in individual cases in recent years,” in their press statement. The group also said that they “expressly distance [themselves] from any form of violence against women and apologise for the historically-based actions of past years.”
But the NDR report suggests that the violence could be more commonplace than the association claims. In the video, a former Klaasohm explains that if a woman tries to defend herself and resist the practice, then the woman would be prevented from escaping. He adds that when a Klaasohm sees a woman limping after the attack, they feel pride about what they have inflicted. He explains that there have been cases where women are left with blue and green bruising preventing them from sitting properly for up to six days. He adds that whilst there are men and women against the beatings, they face a pressure to stay silent.
When looking back on his experience of being selected as a Klaasohm he says that he felt elated at the time. It is a no-brainer that the Klaasohms’ delight in causing physical pain to women is toxic masculinity. But the man’s satisfaction in being picked is somewhat symbolic of a rite of passage, in which the male is deemed “ready” to uptake a new superior position within the association, but one which involves performing violent acts. This too ultimately conveys toxic masculinity.
Despite the issues raised in the report, there are talks of it being one-sided. The mayor of Borkum, Jürgen Akkermann claims that the festival is celebrated by men, women and children, in pubs as well as on the street. Akkermann added: “Unfortunately, the positive voices don’t get a say in the report.”
Nevertheless, even if the report does not give the full picture of the festival, the association has not done themselves any favours in enabling a comprehensive and perhaps more in-depth coverage. The association said: “The report, which paints a distorted picture of the festival, is a result of us rejecting requests for transparency.” Whether it is truly “distorted” or not, the video footage of the violence clearly underlines the vulgarity within the festival and the association’s lack of transparency begs the question as to why they felt the need to obstruct media coverage.
Christine Arbogast, Lower Saxony’s state secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs suggests that a ban may not be necessary, but rather a greater concern for women’s autonomy. Arbogast said: “Customs and traditions are always very important. But it is clear that everything comes to an end where women feel unsafe and are afraid of corporal punishment.”
“Anyone who wants to be spanked with a horn is allowed to do so. But anyone who doesn’t want to must also be respected.”
Now when you consider the severity of the violence, some might say that it would have been more practical if women just stayed at home on the evening of December 5th and that this may have caused the tradition to end. Whilst boycotts can be effective, such a viewpoint suggests that women should avoid living life as normal in order to maintain safety – a very tragic and timid conclusion to make. What’s more, it also suggests that women who choose to walk on the street on that evening are not entitled to any kind of protection. This idea of women doing something “at their own risk” connotes the idea that the woman is responsible for any pain that she experiences, as though the men behind the violence should not be held accountable. Therefore, the stay-at-home argument is as uncourageous as it is sexist.
But whilst the Klaasohm tradition engenders violence against women, similar acts have been seen during the country’s festive period. In 2019, a 32-year-old German woman known as “Tanja” called the police after she was attacked with a rod made of willow by a man dressed as Krampus in a Christmas market in Bad Tölz. Krampus is a legend of a half-demon, half-goat creature who punishes naughty children on the evening of 5th December by placing a rod in their shoes. The legend would also hit the children with a tree branch or kidnap them in a basket. The idea of the woman being subjected to violence from Krampus ultimately reduces her to the status of a child.
According to Tyrolean Police, a 22-year-old woman had to be taken to hospital after being hit with a wooden rod during a Krampus parade in Imst in Austria on Saturday. Her left hand was swollen to the point that she could not move her fingers. So violence against women during the Christmas period is not exclusive to Klaasohm.
So whilst the association’s plan to end the violence speaks of a positive and safer future ahead for women it does not necessarily wash away the disturbing scenes of women being subjected to violence in the NDR documentary. Nevertheless, women have spoken out about their experience which has ultimately blown the whistle on the dark side of the festival. But it is also true that there have been mixed sentiments from government members, as Arbogast indicates that the festival has presented a safety risk to women, whilst Akkermann implies that there are positive opinions of the festival which have not received enough coverage. But one thing that is certain is that this violence from men against women is not a unique issue, neither within a festive context nor generally.
