The most lavish observances occure in the capital, Pyongyang, and include mass gymnastics, music performances, fireworks displays, military demonstrations, and mass dancing parties. The North Korean people receive more food rations and electricity than usual on the Day of the Shining Star.[citation needed]
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",[6] although the "shining star" (광명성) is also used.[7] According to legend, a bright star appeared in the sky the night he was born.[8] 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, and Kwangmyŏngsŏng ('The Bright Star')" and "Oh! Korea! The Paekdu Star Was Born!"[9]
History
Kim's birthday was provisionally celebrated from 1976 onwards, but it became a national holiday only in 1982,[5] two days after he became a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.[10] When he ascended to the country's leadership, his birthday was marked as "The Spring of Humanity" on the North Korean calendar.[11] Kim shunned public occasions on his birthdays.[12] The anniversary received its present name in 2012, the year following his 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".[13] An equestrian statue with Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung was revealed to commemorate the day.[14]
On 12 February 2013, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test a few days before the Day of the Shining Star in celebration of it.[15]
Celebration
The holiday begins on 16 February and lasts for two days. Celebrations are observed throughout the country. The capital, Pyongyang, has observances such as mass gymnastics, music performances, fireworks displays, military demonstrations,[16] and mass dancing parties.[17] Boulevards are lined up with flags and banners. Millions of people visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lay in state.[18] Exhibitions of the bloom Kimjongilia take place. The hybrid begonia plant is named after Kim and has been cultivated to bloom around the Day of the Shining Star. The North Korean government often allocates more food and energy to the people on the Day of the Shining Star than they usually receive.[16] Children are given candy,[12] and it is one of the few occasions on which new members are admitted to the Korean Children's Union.[19]Vitaly Mansky's 2015 documentary film Under the Sun chronicles the run-up to such a ceremony on the Day of the Shining Star.[20]
Government and business offices, banks, and retail outlets close for its observance.[18] Weddings are commonly held on this day.[21]
The two month between the Day of the Shining Star and the Day of the Sun is known as the Loyalty Festival Period, and festivities occur throughout.[22] On the calendar, the Day of the Shining Star takes place after the Generalissimo Day (대원수추대일,14 February, commemorating Kim Jong Il's accession to the rank of Taewonsu) and before the International 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 the Day of Songun (25 August, commemorating the beginning of Kim's Songun, or army-first leadership).[1]
^Ralph, Elizabeth F. (18 February 2013). "Self-Appreciation Day". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
^ ab"Birthday of Kim Jong-Il". Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary (Fourth ed.). Omnigraphics. 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2017 – via TheFreeDictionary.com.
^Toimela, Markku; Aalto, Kaj (2017). Salakahvilla Pohjois-Koreassa: Markku Toimelan jännittävä tie Pohjois-Korean luottomieheksi (in Finnish). Jyväskylä: Docendo. p. 40. ISBN978-952-291-369-2.