Hallowe'en (Harry Potter)

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.
===1980s===
The attack took place on Hallowe'en 1981. It happened not even a week after Peter Pettigrew was made the Potters' Secret Keeper. Pettigrew then betrayed the Potters and gave up their location to Lord Voldemort. Having been told half of the prophecy by Severus Snape, Voldemort came to believe his mortal enemy to be Harry Potter. 
Voldemort travelled to the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow and murdered James and Lily Potter, whom died protecting infant Harry. When he attempted to murder Harry, Lily's loving sacrifice allowed Harry to live and rebounded Voldemort's Killing Curse. The rebounded curse caused a shred of Voldemort's already mutilated soul to be ripped from his destroyed body.
Also this year, several students including Ben Copper, Penny Haywood, Jacob's sibling, Ismelda Murk and Merula Snyde travelled to Godric's Hollow around Hallowe'en time to search for the legendary Sword of Gryffindor. There, they encountered the ghost of the goblin king Ragnuk in St Jerome's graveyard, who cursed Merula with blindness after she attempted to enter his crypt and take the sword. Jacob's sibling was able to convince him to lift the curse, after persuading him that his legacy would live on if he allowed people to view the sword.
Preceding the Hallowe'en Feast in 1988, some students volunteered to help Professor Dumbledore prepare decorations for the feast, which included carving pumpkins. Five students who carved pumpkins were Jacob's sibling, Rowan Khanna, Penny Haywood, Bill Weasley and Wilfred Levi Kidd., "Help Dumbledore with Hallowe'en!" (task available from 5 October to 8 October 2018)
===1990s===
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. 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 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.On 31 October 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. Meanwhile, Quirrell (who let the troll in) headed for the Philosopher's Stone hidden beneath the trapdoor in the third floor corridor — but was stopped by Severus Snape.In 1992, 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.
==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 looked 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. In , Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Draco time-travel from a Hallowe'en to another to participate in the final fight.
*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 , 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.
*Although the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy restricts Wizarding attire when among Muggles, it is implied through dialogue that Hallowe'en is among the rare instances when the Statute is somewhat relaxed. As Muggles commonly wear costumes on Hallowe'en, wizards and witches may freely wear robes, cloaks, and other outfits without arousing suspicion so long as they do not openly practice magic. This is evident during Hallowe'en in 1981, where Voldemort himself was witnessed by several Muggles in Godric's Hollow, but was dismissed as a costume.
**This implied relaxation also may be applied to humanoid magical beings, as demonstrated during the vampire attack on Hallowe'en in the 1990s. Again, due to costumes being a common Muggle tradition, this is likely how the vampire was able to claim several victims without notice.
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==Notes and references==
==External links==
*Hallowe'en in the Muggle world
Category:Hallowe'en