Memorizing Birthdays: The First Lesson

As a Chinese person born and raised in North Korea, I’ve noticed that hardly anyone online talks about what North Korean students learn in their first lesson. So, I’d like to share my own experiences and observations. I still clearly remember my first lesson in a North Korean kindergarten—we had to memorize the birthdays of the Great Leader, his son the General, and the General’s mother, the National Mother. It’s one of those memories that’s impossible to forget; even now, it’s still deeply etched in my mind.

North Korea students first lesson

The Importance of Sun Day and Bright Star Festival

The Great Marshal’s birthday is known as Sun Day, celebrated on April 15th, with his birthplace in Man’gyŏngdae. The General’s birthday, called the Bright Star Festival, is on December 16th, and he was born on Baekdu Mountain, known in China as Changbai Mountain. The First Lady’s birthday, on December 24th, doesn’t have any special designation. As the saying goes, “There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers for the people.” New holidays are only established after the previous ruler has passed.

Gifts and Gratitude: Holiday Traditions for Children

Do you know why these holidays are so unforgettable? During the Sun Festival and the Bright Star Festival, not only do all the kids have to recite certain things by heart, but they also get a proper school holiday. Every child receives a two-kilogram gift pack filled with candies and cookies, and the electricity is kept on all day—even during the toughest times like the Arduous March, the gift-giving never stopped. For kids born on February 15th, the gifts continue every year until they graduate from fourth grade.

I still remember when I was little, my family didn’t have portraits of the Great Marshal and the General, so I’d run to my neighbor’s house to bow and give thanks in front of theirs. I guess that’s one way to repay the leaders’ kindness. I’ve heard that more recently, gifts are even handed out on January 8th for the birthday of the “Three Generals.” Truly, the leaders’ kindness is something that can never be fully repaid, generation after generation.

Those clickbait articles can’t even scratch the surface of these details—they probably just went on a group tour and started making things up. Anyway, that’s all for today. taking you on a journey into the real North Korea.