According to the tradition, Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands by steamboat from Spain in mid-November. There is a big parade in one Dutch town to welcome him each year, with people lining the streets. Television channels show his arrival live, and children dress up to wave him in.
In the weeks after his arrival, Dutch children leave a shoe by the chimney before bed. Sometimes they put a carrot in it for Sinterklaas's horse. In the morning, the carrot has been swapped for a small present or some sweets. Children write him drawings and letters and post them up the chimney.
The big celebration is on the evening of 5 December - Sinterklaasavond. Families gather, exchange presents, and read aloud the funny rhyming poems that grown-ups have written about each other. Children play with their gifts late into the night - the next day at school, everyone shares what they got.
Pepernoten and kruidnoten are tiny spiced biscuits that taste of cinnamon, cloves and ginger. They are scattered everywhere during Sinterklaas time. People sprinkle handfuls of them on the floor for children to scoop up. You can buy them in every Dutch shop from late October.