Start-of-Term Feast

Start-of-Term Feast
Event information
Location	Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
Date(s)	1 September, 7pm
Participant(s)	Hogwarts students Hogwarts staff Hogwarts ghosts
Description	A feast held on the first day of school term

"The very best of evenings to you!... Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you..."

— 1996 Start-of-Term Feast announcements

The Start-of-Term Feast, also known as the Welcoming Feast or the Great Feast, was the traditional feast of the first night at Hogwarts, welcoming the start of a new school year.

It was held in the Great Hall on the night of 1 September following the arrival of the students on the Hogwarts Express. The feast was notable for including the Sorting of all new first-year students into their Houses.

History

Albus Dumbledore: "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."

Harry Potter: "Is he — a bit mad?"

Percy Weasley: "Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

— Reaction to Dumbledore's 1991 Start-of-Term speech

The Start-of-Term Feast was also used to introduce new members of the teaching staff to the student body, and to pass out important announcements and messages concerning the new school year. This was usually done in the form of a speech by the Headmaster or Headmistress. They might also choose to say a few words during this time, such as in 1991, when Albus Dumbledore told the students, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!", or in 1994, when he said "Tuck in!"

Start-of-Term Feast in 1994

Depending on the mood of the Head, the School Song might be sung, to no particular melody other than the individual's choosing. Sometimes, there was a musical presentation by pupils during the feast, for example in 1993, the school choir led a presentation of Something Wicked This Way Comes before the announcements.

The Divination professor Sybill Trelawney usually chose not to attend such events.

1995 Start-of-Term Feast

At the beginning of the 1995–1996 school year, the Ministry-implanted teacher, Dolores Umbridge, interrupted Dumbledore's welcoming speech at the end of the feast, which no other new teachers had ever done before, something the students found amusing, while the staff seemed offended.

Umbridge went on to insult the students by speaking down on them as though they were five-year old children, and then began a very dull speech that most students simply wandered off into chatter (some Prefects pretended to listen to live up to their duties), with Umbridge continuing ignorantly. The other teachers and Hermione Granger knew the very meaning of the speech: "the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts". As a result of her offensive and dull personality, she received scattered and unenthusiastic applause from the students while the teachers only clapped once or twice before stopping, setting a very bad first impression for her tenure.

Description

The feast was held in the Great Hall just like all of the other meals at Hogwarts, and was traditionally attended by every student and teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, other than Sybill Trelawney. During the feast, hundreds of plates were set on each of the four House tables and were filled with food magically appearing on the empty plates, prepared by house-elves working in the kitchens below. Likewise, it was emptied by vanishing before their eyes when the feast was complete.

The food being served at the Start-of-Term Feast

The types of food served were roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, joints, steak and kidney pie, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs. For dessert, there were blocks of assorted ice cream, apple pies, spotted dick, chocolate gateau, treacle tart, pumpkin tart, chocolate éclairs & jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, and rice pudding.

Behind the scenes

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Frog Choir was seen singing the song Something Wicked This Way Comes conducted by Professor Flitwick, though it is not shown in the book itself.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the candidates from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are introduced during the Start-of-Term Feast. However, in the book they arrive prior to the Hallowe'en feast, and a separate feast is held to inaugurate the Triwizard Tournament.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Professor Trelawney attended the Feast despite usually not doing so. In a deleted scene, where Umbridge was giving her speech, Trelawney was eating absentmindedly and accidentally spilling her drink all over herself as she listened.
• The feast in 1994 would have been cancelled had it not been for the Bloody Baron because Peeves was causing chaos in the kitchens, scaring the house-elves. This was also the first feast during which Hermione found out about the house-elves and presumably the night that S.P.E.W. was founded.
• Through various combinations of circumstances, Harry Potter missed or partially missed a number of these in his school years, fully attending only the ones for his first, fourth, and fifth-years (except in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where he fully attended the feast).
• Flaming kiwi cups were to be amongst the dishes served at this feast in 1993, but the line mentioning them was cut from the film adaptation after being written into the original script.

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 (film) (Disc 2) (Seen through a window)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Creator: Harry Potter
• J. K. Rowling's official site (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)