Trick or treats season has arrived! Very popular specially in the United States but also celebrated in many countries, including Brazil, Halloween takes place on October 31; However, decorations, thematic parties and other ways to celebrate this time are awaited the whole month. And the celebration does not only happen in real life: many books, movie plots and sequels portray Halloween as a part of their narrative, and it could not be different among the most loved witches and wizards of the world. In the Harry Potter story, Halloween is also a memorable festivity – and, as a matter of fact, seems to be the best holiday celebrated at Hogwarts.
Not convinced about that? Check, below, some reasons why this spooky time is one of the most remarkable holidays lived by Hogwarts students.
- Tricks and Treats are unique
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Candy sticks. Butterbeer. Carrot Cake. Pumpkin Juice. We could spend a thousand words here just to name all the delicious dishes that belong to the wizard’s reality – and each of them just gets better with Halloween. On October 31, Hogwarts throws an outstanding celebration, with a complete dinner table that makes anyone feel hungry just to look or hear about it, specially because it’s magical and enough to feed everyone as many times as the students want.
Also, for those who love making some tricks to laugh a little bit, it must be a fantastic time to be among Fred and George Weasley, for sure. The redheads are the kings of planning tricks 24/7, and, during Halloween, they are unbeatable. Be aware of mischievous candies!
- Decorations are *unbelievable*
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Jack-o-lanterns, real bats, lots of candles and huge decorated tables are some of the attractions at the Great Hall during Halloween. Yes, I know that Halloween must have a scary aesthetic, but at Hogwarts it just looks astonishingly beautiful all the time. There is also all the entertainment promoted by Dumbledore and dedicated to the students, like the dancing skeletons mentioned in “Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets”. It must be really fun to live all of this, and I guess it’s impossible not to feel at least a little bit curious to see how it would be to see these magical featurings in person.
Another thing that I notice every time I watch the sequels is that all these decorative elements seem to evolve as the story changes and the students grow up. The ambiance of the first party remembers more a childish Halloween, while other further references to this celebration comes with a scarier and grown up composition, just like the plot itself.
It is all so meaningful, from the pumpkins designed by Hagrid to the casual appearances of the ghosts during the feast. Everything works just like the most realistic October 31 celebration ever – and, in fact, it really is.
- It’s not only about Halloween
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One of the most amazing things about October 31 in the wizarding world of Harry Potter is that the spooky season is not only about Halloween. Actually, it’s almost like the date has a kind of curse towards Harry, because many things happened in his life on the last day of October, between good and bad ones.
On October 31 1981, Lord Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow, and yelled the “Avada Kedavra” that killed Harry’s parents and gave him his lightning shaped scar. On the other hand, it was on October 31 years later that a troll in the dungeons became the first adventure of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, still during “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone”. The golden trio was officially formed after that, so this is actually an adorable memory that this date brings to all fans.
And it doesn’t stop right here. October 31 was also the day when the Chamber of Secrets opened again and warned the enemies of the heir to beware, during the second year of the trio in Hogwarts. Really spooky, after all, with all the petrified people due to the basilisk. Later on, Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts and scared everyone as a fugitive from Azkaban in the third movie/book, giving a special Halloween “gift” to the Fat Lady on Gryffindor house’s portrait.
Actually, I think the whole plot of “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban” has this horror movie energy. The dementors make you feel like you’re watching some kind of ghost story, there’s Lupin as a werewolf and many other elements that bring a creepy and dark atmosphere to it. Basically, it is a Halloween that your biggest worry is certainly not related to trick-or-treating.
Therefore, scary or not, the fact is that October 31 has a huge meaning to the whole universe of witchcraft and wizardry of Harry Potter inside and out Hogwarts. With such a list of amazing (and delicious) things to do during Hogwarts Halloween, there’s only one thing that we can be sure: we still hope to receive a Hogwarts letter soon to enjoy all of this!
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The article above was edited by Mel Trench.
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