St. Nicholas Day falls on 6 December because tradition holds that Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra, died on that date, often given as AD 343. Feasts begin on the eve, so many families celebrate on the evening of 5 December. In 2026, 6 December is a Sunday; Julian-calendar churches mark it on 19 December.
Key takeaways
- 6 December is the traditional date of Nicholas of Myra’s death; saints’ days mark the day a saint died, not a birthday (St. Nicholas Center).
- Church feasts begin on the eve, which is why shoes and boots go out on the evening of 5 December and gifts appear by morning.
- In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas arrives on a Saturday weeks earlier (in Leiden, 14 November 2026), and gifts come on pakjesavond, 5 December.
- Churches on the Julian calendar keep the feast on 19 December in the Gregorian calendar, because the Julian calendar now runs 13 days behind.
- In 2026, St. Nicholas Eve is Saturday, 5 December, and St. Nicholas Day is Sunday, 6 December.
Why is St. Nicholas Day on 6 December?
Because 6 December is remembered as the day Nicholas died. Christian tradition keeps a saint’s feast on the day of death, seen as the day of entry into eternal life, so St. Nicholas Day is a death anniversary, not a birthday (St. Nicholas Center FAQ).
Nicholas was born in Patara, in Greek-speaking Lycia on what is now Turkey’s southern coast, and became bishop of Myra. The St. Nicholas Center gives his death as 6 December AD 343.
How much is record and how much legend? The St. Nicholas Center itself notes that some say he existed only in legend. Its review of the early evidence notes that his birth year is unknown (probably AD 260 to 280), that he appears on the oldest Greek list of bishops at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 but not on every list, and that a 6th-century life of the abbot Nicholas of Sion already mentions a shrine to him at Myra. The year 343 and the date come down through church tradition. The dowry story is told in three very ancient accounts, and Cioffari judges it historical in essence; the detail of gold landing in shoes is legend.
| Detail | What we can say |
|---|---|
| Lived in Lycia, bishop of Myra, 4th century | Supported by early church sources |
| At the Council of Nicaea, AD 325 | On the oldest Greek list, not on all lists |
| Died 6 December, about AD 343 | Church tradition; the date of the feast |
| Gold tossed into stockings or shoes | Legend, the root of the shoe custom |
Why does St. Nicholas Day start on the evening of 5 December?
Because church feasts begin on the eve. The St. Nicholas Center compares it to Christmas Eve and to Halloween, the eve of All Saints: the celebration opens the evening before the day itself. The same logic of a day that starts at dusk shapes the Jewish calendar, which is why Hanukkah starts at sundown.
The shoe custom comes from the dowry legend: the gold Nicholas threw through a window landed in stockings or shoes drying by the fire (St. Nicholas Center). The three bags of gold are sometimes shown as gold balls or as oranges, which is why oranges are among his symbols.
St. Nicholas Day falls in Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, and a week before another December feast of light, St. Lucia Day on 13 December.
How do the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas?
In two steps: an arrival in November and an evening of gifts on 5 December. The Leiden International Centre describes the Sinterklaasintocht, his arrival, usually by boat, on a Saturday several weeks before 5 December, then a parade on horseback with helpers called Pieten. Leiden’s 2026 arrival is Saturday, 14 November.
Pakjesavond, “parcel evening”, is 5 December. Beforehand, children leave shoes by the fireplace or a window; on the evening, younger children get presents, and older children and adults swap gifts with a self-written poem, often hidden in a homemade disguise called a surprise. The Centre says the Dutch have kept the feast for more than 700 years; the steamboat arrival dates from the 1800s.
How is Nikolaustag celebrated in Germany?
On the night before 6 December, children in Germany put cleaned shoes or boots outside the door, and by morning they hold apples, nuts and sweets, according to Planet Wissen, the public broadcaster WDR’s knowledge site. Since the 17th century, it adds, Nikolaus has also visited many homes in person, often with a darker companion such as Knecht Ruprecht or Krampus.
The St. Nicholas Center says 6 December was Europe’s day for gifts from around the 11th century until the Reformation, when Martin Luther promoted the Christ Child (Christkindl) as a Christmas gift-bringer instead.
Why do some Orthodox churches celebrate St. Nicholas on 19 December?
Because they still follow the Julian calendar for fixed feasts. Their 6 December falls on 19 December in the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses for civil life (St. Nicholas Center).
The gap comes from leap years. The Julian calendar adds a leap day every four years; the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582, skips it in century years not divisible by 400 (US Naval Observatory). The 1582 reform dropped 10 days at once, the story told in why ten days vanished in 1582. The Julian calendar then kept leap days in 1700, 1800 and 1900 that the Gregorian calendar skipped, so the gap grew to 13 days. It widens to 14 days in March 2100, when Julian 6 December will start falling on Gregorian 20 December.
The date can move when a church changes calendars. In May 2023 the Orthodox Church of Ukraine adopted the new calendar for fixed feasts from 1 September 2023, moving St. Nicholas Day from 19 December to 6 December and Christmas from 7 January to 25 December (Ukrinform).
| Calendar | St. Nicholas Day 2026 | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Gregorian (Western churches; Orthodox churches on the new calendar) | 6 December | Sunday |
| Julian (churches still on the old calendar) | 19 December (Gregorian) | Saturday |
How did St. Nicholas become Santa Claus?
Mostly in 19th-century New York. History.com traces the name Santa Claus to Sinter Klaas, the Dutch shortening of Sint Nikolaas; the St. Nicholas Center instead calls it a phonetic alteration of the German Sankt Niklaus, and notes that scholars find scant evidence that the Dutch colony of New Netherland kept St. Nicholas customs.
The American figure was built by New York writers and artists, step by step (St. Nicholas Center):
– 1809: On St. Nicholas Day, Washington Irving published his satirical Knickerbocker’s History of New York, with a jolly, pipe-smoking St. Nicholas.
– 1821: The Children’s Friend brought “Sante Claus” from the North in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer, and moved his visit to Christmas Eve.
– 1823: “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, better known as “The Night Before Christmas”, gave him a round belly and a sack of toys. It is usually attributed to Clement Clarke Moore; some argue for Henry Livingston.
– 1863 to 1886: Thomas Nast’s annual drawings in Harper’s Weekly fixed the bearded, fur-trimmed Santa.
That is how a death anniversary in early December became, in the US, a visit on 24 December.
Your day on My BodyClock
The day above on My BodyClock is St. Nicholas Eve, Saturday, 5 December 2026, planned for a family keeping pakjesavond. In Amsterdam the sun rises at 8:33 AM and sets at 4:29 PM that day (US Naval Observatory), so the plan front-loads daylight: a walk as the sun comes up and an hour outdoors after lunch. Shoes go by the door at dusk, dinner comes early at 5 PM, and gifts and poems fill the evening.
Then the lights come down. Bright evening light delays the body clock (Blume and colleagues, 2019), so the plan ends by candlelight, screens off, at the usual 10 PM bedtime. Long December evenings suit family rituals best when the week keeps its rhythm: steady wake times and an early-enough dinner. For the season’s sleep question, see should you sleep more in winter.
Plan your own eve in Owaves: take the Body Clock Type quiz, download Owaves on the App Store, or join the Android waitlist.
FAQ
What day of the week is St. Nicholas Day in 2026?
Sunday, 6 December 2026. St. Nicholas Eve, when shoes go out and the Dutch celebrate pakjesavond, is Saturday, 5 December. Julian-calendar churches mark the feast on Saturday, 19 December 2026.
Is St. Nicholas Day on 5 or 6 December?
The feast day is 6 December. Church feasts begin on the eve, so many customs, including Dutch pakjesavond and putting out shoes, happen on the evening of 5 December.
Why do children put out shoes for St. Nicholas?
The custom comes from the legend of the dowry gold, which landed in stockings or shoes drying by the fire. Children leave shoes or boots out on the eve and find fruit, nuts or small gifts in them by morning.
Sources
- St. Nicholas Center. Who is St. Nicholas? https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas
- St. Nicholas Center. St. Nicholas FAQs. https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/faqs
- St. Nicholas Center. A Real Person? (summary of research by Fr. Gerardo Cioffari, Centro Studi Nicolaiani, Bari). https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/real-person
- St. Nicholas Center. Origin of Santa. https://www.stnicholascenter.org/who-is-st-nicholas/origin-of-santa
- Leiden International Centre. Sinterklaas (2026). https://leideninternationalcentre.nl/living-here/leisure/sinterklaas
- von Glinski, S. Nikolaustag. Planet Wissen, WDR (updated 2019). https://www.planet-wissen.de/kultur/brauchtum/weihnachtsbraeuche/weihnachten-braeuche-feiertage-nikolaus-100.html
- Ukrinform. OCU switches to new liturgical calendar (24 May 2023). https://ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3713506-ocu-switches-to-new-liturgical-calendar.html
- US Naval Observatory. Introduction to Calendars. https://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/calendars
- US Naval Observatory. Sun and moon data, Amsterdam, 5 December 2026. https://aa.usno.navy.mil/api/rstt/oneday?date=2026-12-05&coords=52.37,4.90&tz=1&dst=false
- HISTORY.com Editors. Santa Claus. History.com (updated 2026). https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus
- Blume C, Garbazza C, Spitschan M. Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie (2019). doi:10.1007/s11818-019-00215-x. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6751071/
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