Rhinebeck’s Sinterklaas festival began 37 years ago to foster community spirit at the Christmas holidays. Today, it’s still opening hearts to the magic of the tradition.

Sinterklaas is the Dutch iteration of the classic Saint Nicholas legend, often called the “De Sint.” Unlike his American counterpart, Sinterklaas wears a more traditional bishop garb and delivers ...

Like them, Sinterklaas was gradually Americanized. The character became abnormally jolly and took up pipe-smoking in Washington Irving's 1809 book “Knickerbocker's History of New York.” ...