The Belsnickel (Belznickel, Pelznickel, Bell Sniggle) is the cantankerous Christmas gift-bringer in German and Pennsylvania Dutch folklore. The old man is often depicted dressed in dirty clothes and tattered furs, with deer antlers and greenery and wild hair and beard.
Considered by many to be a moral character, he is said to carry a birch switch from house to house to frighten naughty kids and pockets full of tiny cakes, candy, and an assortment of nuts to reward the good. One theory suggests that trick-or-treating grew not only from the ancient European customs of souling and guising, but also from the German-American Christmas tradition of belsnickeling, calling on neighbors to perform tricks and be rewarded with treats while disguised in clever costumes.
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