According to Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat from Spain.
The annual arrival, or intocht, usually takes place in mid-November and marks the beginning of the Sinterklaas season. Sinterklaas is based on Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century Christian bishop of Myra, but Dutch tradition gives him a distinctly theatrical identity: he wears bishop’s robes, rides a white horse and travels with helpers.
The steamboat-and-Spain image became especially influential through Jan Schenkman’s 1850 children’s book Sint Nicolaas en zijn knecht. The book helped establish several modern features, including the boat arrival, gift-giving through chimneys and the popular song about the approaching steamboat. The tradition was later reinforced by public parades and television broadcasts.
Sinterklaas’s main gift-giving celebration is Pakjesavond on 5 December, rather than Christmas Day. The Spanish setting is a folklore convention, not a claim about Saint Nicholas’s historical birthplace: Nicholas was associated with Myra in Lycia, in present-day Turkey. In some years or local celebrations, Sinterklaas may arrive by another vehicle, but Spain remains the canonical answer.