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Next: 6 Dec 2026

St Nicholas Day

Shoes are left out the night before, and good children find sweets, nuts and small gifts in the morning.

Saint Nicholas Day: Traditional celebration of Saint Nicholas day in Czech Republic, Malá Strana, Prague
Photo: Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When is St Nicholas Day in 2026?

St Nicholas Day 2026 is on Sunday, 6 December 2026. Other years: 2027, Monday, 6 December 2027; 2028, Wednesday, 6 December 2028.

About St Nicholas Day

St Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra, in present-day Turkey, remembered for his generosity, including the story of the three poor sisters for whom he secretly provided dowries. On 6 December, and the evening of 5 December in the Netherlands and Belgium, children place a shoe or boot by the door or a stocking by the fireplace and wake to find it filled with oranges, nuts, chocolate coins and sweets. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas arrives by steamship from Spain in November, and the Pakjesavond brings gifts and rhyming poems. In Germany and Austria, St Nicholas visits with a bishop's staff and a book, and his dark companion, Knecht Ruprecht or the Krampus, warns of bad behaviour. He is also a patron saint of sailors and children.

St Nicholas Day dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearSt Nicholas Day date
2026Sunday, 6 December 2026
2027Monday, 6 December 2027
2028Wednesday, 6 December 2028

What is eaten

  • speculaas
  • pepernoten
  • chocolate letters
  • tangerines

Traditions of St Nicholas Day

SinterklaasThe Dutch version of the saint.KrampusThe horned companion of the Alpine tradition.

Also part of it, and being written: Nicholas of Myra (The saint himself.).

More marked on St Nicholas Day

🇩🇪 Nuremberg, Germany and 5 moreChristmas marketWeihnachtsmarkt A seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Saint Nicholas Day" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.