When is St. Nicholas Day?
St. Nicholas Day is December 6 every year, the feast day of Saint Nicholas in the Western church calendar. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday. Many traditions start the evening before: Dutch families celebrate pakjesavond ("presents evening") on December 5, and German, Austrian and Czech children put out their boots or shoes that night to find them filled in the morning. Orthodox churches that still follow the Julian calendar keep the feast on December 19.
| Year | December 5 (eve, Netherlands) | December 6 (feast day) | December 19 (Julian calendar) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday | Sunday | Saturday |
| 2027 | Sunday | Monday | Sunday |
| 2028 | Tuesday | Wednesday | Tuesday |
| 2029 | Wednesday | Thursday | Wednesday |
| 2030 | Thursday | Friday | Thursday |
| 2031 | Friday | Saturday | Friday |
| 2032 | Sunday | Monday | Sunday |
| 2033 | Monday | Tuesday | Monday |
St. Nicholas Day is not a public holiday in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany or the United States: schools and offices stay open, so most families celebrate in the evening or move the party to the nearest weekend.
Who was Saint Nicholas?
Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra, a town on the south coast of what is now Turkey (modern Demre). Stories of his secret gifts — most famously dowry money thrown through a window for three poor sisters — made him the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants. His remains were taken to Bari in Italy in 1087, where they are still venerated. Tradition holds that he died on December 6, which became his feast day.
How it is celebrated
- Netherlands: Sinterklaas "arrives by steamboat from Spain" in mid-November, watched live on television, and children put a shoe by the fireplace on several evenings before the big night. On December 5 families exchange presents, often wrapped as an elaborate homemade "surprise" with a teasing rhyming poem. Ginger nuts (pepernoten) and chocolate letters are the classic treats.
- Belgium (Flanders): the presents arrive overnight, so children open them on the morning of December 6.
- Germany and Austria: on Nikolaustag children find sweets, nuts and small gifts in the boots they cleaned the night before. In Alpine regions the horned Krampus roams on the evening of December 5.
- Central and Eastern Europe: Czech and Slovak towns see Mikuláš walking with an angel and a devil on December 5; Polish children get gifts on Mikołajki, December 6.
- United States: some families of German, Dutch or Central European heritage keep the shoe tradition, and Santa Claus is usually traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas, reshaped in 19th-century New York.
Planning with the countdown
- Sleeps: the "Sleeps" card counts the nights left before December 6; for the Dutch evening celebration there is one sleep less.
- Shoes and boots: set them out on the evening of December 5 for a December 6 morning surprise.
- Budget: St. Nicholas and Christmas come three weeks apart; plan both with the Christmas budget calculator, and see the days until Christmas next.
Frequently asked questions
What day is St. Nicholas Day 2026?
December 6, 2026 is a Sunday. The Dutch pakjesavond is the evening before, Saturday, December 5.
Why do the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5?
Feast days traditionally began at sunset the evening before, so the eve of St. Nicholas Day became the main celebration in the Netherlands. In Belgium the presents are opened on the morning of December 6.
Is St. Nicholas Day the same as Christmas?
No. It honors Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop, on December 6. Santa Claus, who brings presents at Christmas, developed from the Dutch Sinterklaas, but the two celebrations are separate and about three weeks apart.
When do Orthodox Christians celebrate St. Nicholas Day?
Churches that follow the Julian calendar celebrate on December 19 of the everyday Gregorian calendar (until 2100). Orthodox churches that use the revised Julian calendar, such as those of Greece and Romania, celebrate on December 6.
Last updated: October 14, 2026