This is a list of public holidays in North Korea. See also the

Korean calendar The traditional Korean calendar or Dangun calendar () is a lunisolar calendar. Dates are calculated from Korea's meridian ( 135th meridian east in modern time for South Korea), and observances and festivals are based in Korean culture. Koreans ...

for a list of traditional holidays. , the

North Korean calendar The ''Juche'' calendar, named after the ''Juche'' ideology, is the system of year-numbering used in North Korea. It begins with the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. His birth year, 1912 in the Gregorian calendar, is "''Juche'' ...

has 71 official public holidays, including Sundays. In the past,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

ns relied on rations provided by the state on public holidays for feasts. Recently, with marketization people are able to save up money and buy the goods they need. The

Day of the Sun The Day of the Sun () is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to be ...

, the birthday of its founder and first

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

, on 15 April is the most important holiday in the country. The second most important is the

Day of the Shining Star The Day of the Shining Star () is a public holiday in North Korea falling on 16 February, the anniversary of the birth of the country's second leader, Kim Jong-il. Along with the Day of the Sun, the birthday of his father Kim Il-sung, it is th ...

on 16 February, the birthday of Kim Jong-il. , Kim Jong-un's birthday is still not a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

. Other holidays of great importance are the Party Foundation Day (10 October) and the

Day of the Foundation of the Republic Day of the Foundation of the Republic () is the Republic Day and National day of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, held on 9 September. The Day of the Foundation of the Republic is one of the most important holidays of the country, al ...

(9 September). North Koreans often schedule their wedding days on important national holidays. North Korea regularly carries out missile and nuclear tests on such important anniversaries.

List of annual holidays

Momentous changes in political holidays in North Korean calendars

During some years, certain dates related with the Kim regime are additionally designated as public holidays for propaganda purposes. In the 2014 version of the North Korean calendar, "Generalissimo Day(대원수추대일)" briefly became a thing that honors when Kim Jong-il received the title "

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...

of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" posthumously in 2012. In the 2015 calendar, a new public holiday was to be celebrated on June 19th, marking the date in 1964 when Kim Jong Il graduated from Kim Il Sung University and began working as part of the Party’s organizational leadership. Various events related to the commemorative day take place every year on this date in North Korea, but this was the first time it has been recognized as a national holiday. In the 2017 calendar, July 3 became a public holiday called "Day of strategic force(전략군절)".

References

External links

* {{Asia topic, Public holidays in Korea, North