Hallowe'en

Pumpkins, one of the decorations of Hogwarts' Hallowe'en feast

"A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkin stutter."

— The Great Hall on Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en, a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening", was a holiday celebrated by both Muggles and the wizarding world on 31 October. Typical festive Hallowe'en activities included trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, and telling scary stories. This applied to the wizarding world also, but with their own magical twist.

History

The Culture segment of The New York Ghost Sunday edition published on 28 November 1926 had an article on No-Maj's Hallowe'en costume. The Wizbiz segment of the Sunrise Early Edition published on 6 December the same year from the same paper, reported that the holiday saw record breaking sales of No-Maj broomsticks.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there was a feast every year on Hallowe'en, and the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year usually occurred around the same day. The Keeper of Keys and Grounds grew enormous pumpkins for the feast by magic.

Voldemort attempting to murder Harry Potter, after murdering his parents

In 1981, the First Wizarding War ended with the disappearance of Lord Voldemort after he murdered James and Lily Potter, and attempted to murder infant Harry Potter.

In 1984, Fenrir Greyback and his army attacked Hogwarts. Due to the attack, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was absent from the Hallowe'en Feast. After many of the werewolves were captured during the following full moon, Dumbledore decided to hold the Hallowe'en Feast a second time.

In 1985, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's 493rd Deathday Party was co-hosted by Sir Nicholas and Erling in the Deathday Ballroom at Hogwarts. Jacob's sibling and Myrtle Warren attended the party and shared a dance.

At some point after taking office in 1990, Cornelius Fudge proposed that the Ministry proposed putting restrictions on how wizards and witches were allowed to celebrate Hallowe'en, presumably in consideration to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

In 1991, the first-year Charms class topic was the Levitation Charm. Later, the Hallowe'en feast was interrupted by the arrival of a Mountain Troll. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley saved Hermione Granger from the Troll in the girls' bathroom.

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington's 500th Deathday Party

In 1992, Sir Nicholas's 500th Deathday Party took place in the Deathday Party Hall. It was attended by many ghosts, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Ginny Weasley, under the influence of Tom Riddle's Diary, opened the Chamber of Secrets for the first time in fifty years. The Basilisk that was released from the Chamber Petrified Mrs Norris.

In 1993, Sirius Black entered Hogwarts Castle and attacked the Fat Lady when she refused to give him passage to Gryffindor Tower.

In 1994, the Goblet of Fire chose the Triwizard champions — Viktor Krum for Durmstrang; Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons; Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts; and an unexpected fourth champion, Harry Potter.

In 1999, the Ministry of Magic, now under the administration of Kingsley Shacklebolt, attempted to impose the restrictions previously proposed by Cornelius Fudge. Stamford Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic spokesperson, defended such measures in the Daily Prophet by highlighting how wards at St Mungo's were busier than ever at Hallowe'en, along with him mentioning how a wizard was still in the hospital in 1999 with his head back to front from a Hallowe'en prank gone wrong from the year prior. Other events included a vampire running amok one year and having to be lured away from a Muggle girl with a raw steak, and Celestina Warbeck having a cancel a Hallowe'en concert with Banshees as back-up singers.

Celestina Warbeck vocally disagreed with this proposed legislation, a move that was considered controversial on her part. Other British wizards and witches who vocally disagreed included Glinda Crook and Dagbert Pips, who wrote to the Daily Prophet to express their dismay at such legislation. Dagbert Pips was the owner of a shop called Pumpkins R Us, which sold various types of magical pumpkins for the season.

Hallowe'en feast

The Hallowe'en Feast at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry occurred on the 31st of October every year. The Hallowe'en Feast was usually festooned with sweets-filled pumpkins, bats, orange streamers, water snakes, goblets of coloured sweets and all sorts of Hallowe'en-related decorations. There was usually some entertainment at the end, which may have been by the Hogwarts ghosts, who popped out of the walls and did formation gliding.

It was a highly anticipated feast which most Hogwarts students look forward to every year.

Behind the scenes

• Hallowe'en is a very important date in the Harry Potter books. Either during or after the feast in the first four books something fateful happens. The troll, the Chamber of Secrets re-opening, Sirius Black's attack on the Fat Lady, and Harry Potter's name emerging from the Goblet of Fire. In the seventh book, we discover that the date, 31 October is significant, as it is the date of James and Lily Potter's death in 1981. Finally, seeing as Neville Longbottom's and Harry's birthdays are, respectively, 30 and 31 July 1980, almost exactly nine months after 31 October 1979, it is likely that both were conceived on or around Hallowe'en.
• Hallowe'en can be also called "All Hallows' Eve" (meaning "All Saints' Eve", as 1 November is All Saints' Day), which shares part of its name with the Deathly Hallows. All Hallows' Eve was the date Harry first cheated death and defeated Voldemort, while the Deathly Hallows helped him cheat death and defeat Voldemort again with the Elder Wand.
• In Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, certain places at Hogwarts, including the common rooms and the Great Hall, decorated with Hallowe'en decorations in October and early November in real time. The player can help Dumbledore with Hallowe'en decorations during this time to earn house points.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Appears in deleted scene(s))
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears in flashback(s))
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Mentioned in a newspaper)
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• Daily Prophet Newsletters (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

External links

• Hallowe'en in the Muggle world