There's a thick carpet of snow underfoot, as St. Nicholas leads a procession of followers dressed in grim reaper and devil costumes on a journey through the village of Lidecko.
This old, pre-Christmas tradition has survived for centuries in just a few villages in the region, known as Wallachia.
The devils wear homemade masks made of sheepskin and travel with white, scythe-carrying creatures that represent death.
The custom reportedly dates from the pagan era before Christianity, when masks helped the mountainous region’s inhabitants defend themselves against the demons of winter.
