| Day of the Shining Star | |
|---|---|
 Equestrian statue withKim Jong Il (right) andKim Il Sung, revealed on the Day of the Shining Star | |
| Observed by | North Korea |
| Significance | Birth ofKim Jong Il (1941/1942) (Juche 30/31) |
| Begins | 16 February |
| Ends | 17 February |
| Date | 16 February |
| Duration | 2 days |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | After being designated in 1982 |
| Related to | Generalissimo Day (14 February),[1] Loyalty Festival (between 16 February and 15 April),Day of the Sun (15 April),[2]Day ofSongun (25 August)[1] |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 광명성절 |
| Hanja | 光明星節 |
| RR | Gwangmyeongseongjeol |
| MR | Kwangmyŏngsŏngjŏl |
TheDay of the Shining Star (Korean:광명성절;MR:Kwangmyŏngsŏngjŏl) is apublic holiday in North Korea falling on 16 February, the anniversary of the birth of the country's secondleader,Kim Jong Il. Along with theDay of the Sun (April 15), the birthday of his fatherKim Il Sung, the Shining Star day is one of the two most important public holidays in the country.[3]
Kim Jong Il was born in 1941 (Juche 30) in theSoviet Union,[4] althoughNorth Korean propaganda says the date is 16 February 1942 (Juche 31) and places the birth in theMount Paektu area inKorea.[4] His birthday became an official holiday in 1982 when he began his work in thePolitburo of the Workers' Party of Korea. He celebrated his birthdays privately. In 2012, the year followinghis death, the holiday was renamed the Day of the Shining Star.
The most lavish observances occur in the capital,Pyongyang, and includemass gymnastics, music performances, fireworks displays, military demonstrations, and mass dancing parties. The North Korean people receive morefood rations and electricity than usual on the Day of the Shining Star.[5]
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Kim Jong Il was born in February 1941 toKim Il Sung andKim Jong-suk inSiberia in theRussian Federal Republic,Soviet Union. His father had been in exile because of hisguerrilla activities.North Korean propaganda dates Kim Jong Il's birth to 16 February 1942. It locates it at theMount Paektu area inKorea, the mythical place of origin of theKorean people, where Kim Il Sung supposedly ran a guerrilla camp.[4] The guerrillas were based inManchuria at the time, and Kim himself had been to theSoviet Far East before and after Kim Jong Il's birth.[6]
In North Korean propaganda, Kim Jong Il is often associated with the star's image. He is most often referred to as the "bright star",[7] although the "shining star" (광명성) is also used.[8] According to legend, a bright star appeared in the sky the night he was born.[9] Guerrilla fighters carved messages on trees (called guhonamu (구호나무)) proclaiming: "Three Heroes Shining in Korea with the Spirit of Mount Paekdu: Kim Il Sung, Kim Chŏng-suk, andKwangmyŏngsŏng ('The Bright Star')" and "Oh! Korea! The Paekdu Star Was Born!"[10]
Kim's birthday was provisionally celebrated from 1976 onwards, but it became a national holiday only in 1982,[6] two days after he became a member of thePolitburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.[11] When he ascended to the country's leadership, his birthday was marked as "The Spring of Humanity" on theNorth Korean calendar.[12] Kim shunned public occasions on his birthdays.[13] The anniversary received its present name in 2012, the year followinghis death, when the Politburo announced that: "February 16, the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation when the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il was born, will be instituted as the Day of the Shining Star".[14] An equestrian statue with Kim Jong Il andKim Il Sung was revealed to commemorate the day.[15]
On 12 February 2013, North Korea conductedits third nuclear test a few days before the Day of the Shining Star in celebration of it.[16]
Since 2024, official usage of the term "Day of the Shining Star" had been reduced significantly, and the holiday was, in most cases, simply referred to as "2.16" or "the February holiday" (Korean:2월의 명절;MR:2wŏrŭi myŏngjŏl).[17]
The holiday begins on 16 February and lasts for two days. Celebrations are observed throughout the country. The capital,Pyongyang, has observances such asmass gymnastics, music performances, fireworks displays, military demonstrations,[5] and mass dancing parties.[18] Boulevards are lined up with flags and banners. Millions of people visit theKumsusan Palace of the Sun where both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lay in state.[19] Exhibitions of the bloomKimjongilia take place. Thehybrid begonia plant is named after Kim and has been cultivated to bloom around the Day of the Shining Star. TheNorth Korean government often allocates more food and energy to the people on the Day of the Shining Star than they usually receive.[5] Children are given candy,[13] and it is one of the few occasions on which new members are admitted to theKorean Children's Union.[20]Vitaly Mansky's 2015 documentary filmUnder the Sun chronicles the run-up to such a ceremony on the Day of the Shining Star.[21]
Government and business offices, banks, and retail outlets close for its observance.[19] Weddings are commonly held on this day.[22]
The two month between the Day of the Shining Star and theDay of the Sun is known as the Loyalty Festival Period, and festivities occur throughout.[23] On the calendar, the Day of the Shining Star takes place after theGeneralissimo Day (대원수추대일, 14 February, commemorating Kim Jong Il's accession to the rank ofTaewonsu) and before theInternational Women's Day (8 March). The Day of the Shining Star is one of three days celebrating Kim Jong Il on the calendar, the other two being the Generalissimo Day and theDay ofSongun (25 August, commemorating the beginning of Kim'sSongun, or army-first leadership).[1]
