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"By the time Hallowe'en arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Hallowe'en feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Rubeus Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumours that Albus Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment."
— Description[src]

The Hallowe'en feast at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry occurred on 31 October every year.[1] It was festooned with confectionery-filled pumpkins, apples, black cauldrons of big lollipops, carrot cake, bats, orange streamers, goblets of coloured sweets, possibly Pumpkin juice, and all sorts of Hallowe'en-related decorations.

There was always some entertainment at the end, which might be 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.[1]

History[]

1980s[]

GreybackAttack

Fenrir Greyback and his army attacked Hogwarts

At some point during the 1980s, Fenrir Greyback and his army attacked Hogwarts on Hallowe'en, and Albus Dumbledore was absent from the feast because of it. That year, Dumbledore decided to hold the Hallowe'en feast for a second time following a full moon at some point in November.[2]

In 1987, the Hogwarts ghosts put on a show.[3]

In 1988, Albus Dumbledore asked students, including Jacob's sibling, to help him prepare for the feast. In order to help, students carved pumpkins and created bat decorations. Dumbledore also enchanted skeletons to dance, Jacob's sibling and Rowan Khanna made hats for them.[4]

1990s[]

"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 pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet."
— Description of the feast in 1991[src]
Troll in the Dungeons!

Quirrell informing the feast of the released troll

In 1991, the feast was interrupted by a frightened Professor Quirrell, who alerted the whole school of a mountain troll's presence in the dungeons before fainting. Unbeknownst to all, the troll had been secretly let in by Quirrell under Lord Voldemort's orders to act as a diversion for the students and teachers so he could attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, safely hidden in the school. The feast was cut short and all the students had to finish it in their common rooms, while the teachers went to find the troll. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley went off to find and inform Hermione Granger about it in the bathroom and ran into the creature.[1]

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Deathday Party

In 1992, it was rumoured that Albus Dumbledore had booked a band of skeletons to play there. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger did not attend the feast; instead, they were at Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's 500th Deathday Party.[5] As such, Argus Filch believed that they were involved with the Petrification of his cat, Mrs Norris, which occurred on the same night since they were not at the feast with all the other students.[6]

During the Hallowe'en feast in Harry Potter's third year, Sirius Black attempted to break into the Gryffindor Common Room to murder Peter Pettigrew (disguised as Scabbers). However, when the Fat Lady did not let him in he slashed her portrait.[7]

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The selection of champions through the Goblet of Fire

In Harry Potter's fourth year, the Hallowe'en feast had an added dimension, as the Goblet of Fire was present to divulge the names of the champions for the Triwizard Tournament. The Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, after the three champions were chosen, a fourth name came out of the Goblet: Harry Potter's. This was an unexpected occurance.[8]

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the first book and film, when Professor Quirrell reports that a troll is in the dungeons, Dumbledore tasks all prefects with leading the students back to the Common Rooms. In the GBA version, he tells everyone to stay in the Great Hall and specifically asks Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley to guard the door. Ron and Harry have to get past him when leaving the hall on their way to save Hermione Granger from the troll.

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 10 (Hallowe'en)
  2. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1, Side Quest "Hallowe'en Feast"
  3. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, "Help Dumbledore with Hallowe'en!" - based on Nearly Headless Nick's line "This Hallowe'en will be my four hundred ninety-sixth deathday." and Rowan's line "Remember the show the Hogwarts ghosts put up on for us last year?", indicating the event Rowan was referring to took place on (or around) Nearly Headless Nick's 495th deathday, which was in 1987.
  4. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, "Help Dumbledore with Hallowe'en!"
  5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 8 (The Deathday Party)
  6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)
  7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 8 (Flight of the Fat Lady)
  8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 16 (The Goblet of Fire)

External links[]

Meals served in the Great Hall
Christmas feast at Hogwarts
Feasts
Start-of-Term Feast · Hallowe'en feast · Christmas feast · Welcoming Feast · End-of-Term Feast
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Breakfast Bacon · Cornflakes · Eggs · Egg on toast · Fried egg · Hard-boiled egg · Kipper · Orange juice · Porridge · Roll · Sausage · Toast
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Christmas specialties
Chipolata · Christmas pudding · Christmas cake · Cranberry sauce · Egg-nog · Roast turkey
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