When is Day of the Shining Star?
In 2026, Day of the Shining Star falls on Monday, February 16, 2026. It is classified here as a North Korean public holiday.
History of Day of the Shining Star
The Day of the Shining Star is held on February 16, the birth anniversary of Kim Jong Il. It is one of the DPRK’s principal state holidays, reflected in ceremonial events, public displays and official cultural programming across the country.
The scale and form of events differ by place and year, but official reporting regularly presents the date as a major national commemoration. For calendar users, it is best understood as a nationwide public holiday with a strong state-political character, not as a general cultural festival.
The holiday commemorates Kim Jong Il, who led the DPRK from 1994 until his death in 2011. DPRK sources give his birthplace as a camp near Mount Paektu, while Soviet records place his birth in the Soviet Far East; the guide does not resolve that disputed biography by repeating the official account as fact. The Day of the Shining Star title was still used in DPRK-linked reporting in February 2026, including accounts of official visits, floral tributes and gifts to children. These reports demonstrate current state usage, not the private beliefs or voluntary participation of every resident.
How Day of the Shining Star is observed
A major nationwide state holiday fixed on Monday, February 16, 2026; current 2026 reporting continued to use the Day of the Shining Star name.
Traditions of Day of the Shining Star
Tributes at official sites
Officials and organised groups visit statues, portraits, Kumsusan Palace or designated revolutionary sites in programmes reported by state media.
Art and public displays
Performances, exhibitions, floral arrangements and illuminated streets present the state-approved public commemoration of Kim Jong Il's birth anniversary.
Gifts through institutions
DPRK reporting records confectionery or other gifts for children through schools and care institutions, without establishing identical nationwide distribution.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official North Korean official and calendar guidance. Lunar-calendar and annual state schedules should be confirmed against authoritative current-year guidance.
History sources: North Korea 2026 public-holiday calendar, KCNA: Lunar New Year’s Day celebrated in the DPRK, Russian Embassy in the DPRK: country information and holiday list, KCNA reporting: Day of the Shining Star in 2026.
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