======Hallowe'en======
=====Introduction=====
Hallowe'en, celebrated on **31 October**, is a date of profound and often tragic significance in the modern [[wizarding world]]. While observed with festive traditions, such as the annual feast at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], the date is inextricably linked to several pivotal and dark events in the life of [[Harry Potter]] and the history of the [[Wizarding Wars]]. For the wizarding community, it is a night that marks both celebration and momentous, world-altering occurrences.
=====Significance in the Wizarding World=====
In the [[wizarding world]], Hallowe'en is celebrated with more overt magical flair than in the [[Muggle]] world. The most prominent example is the annual **Hallowe'en Feast** held in the [[Great Hall]] at [[Hogwarts]]. The hall is lavishly decorated with thousands of live [[bats]] fluttering from the ceiling, hundreds of carved, lit [[pumpkins]] (some large enough to hold three men, grown by [[Rubeus Hagrid]]), and festive banners. The feast itself is a grand affair, rivaling the Start-of-Term and Christmas feasts.
The date also holds significance for the spectral community. For instance, the [[ghost]] of [[Gryffindor]] house, [[Nearly Headless Nick]], chose Hallowe'en of 1992 to celebrate his 500th **Deathday Party**, a sombre gathering of [[ghosts]] from all over Britain held in one of the school's larger [[dungeons]].
=====Key Events on Hallowe'en=====
Several of the most crucial events in the [[Harry Potter]] series occurred on Hallowe'en night, repeatedly marking it as a turning point in his life and the ongoing battle against [[Lord Voldemort]].
  * **31 October 1981:** This is arguably the most significant date in modern wizarding history. [[Lord Voldemort]] went to [[Godric's Hollow]] to kill the infant [[Harry Potter]], who was prophesied to have the power to vanquish him. After murdering [[James Potter]], [[Voldemort]] offered [[Lily Potter]] the chance to stand aside, but she refused and was killed while shielding her son. Her loving sacrifice created a powerful, ancient magic that protected [[Harry]]. When [[Voldemort]] turned his [[wand]] on [[Harry]] and cast the [[Killing Curse]], the curse rebounded, stripping [[Voldemort]] of his body and power and leaving [[Harry]] with only a lightning-bolt scar. This event ended the [[First Wizarding War]] and gave [[Harry Potter]] the moniker "The Boy Who Lived."
  * **31 October 1991:** During the [[Hallowe'en Feast]], [[Professor Quirrell]], secretly acting on [[Lord Voldemort]]'s orders, let a fully grown [[Mountain Troll]] into the [[Hogwarts]] [[dungeons]]. He did this to create a diversion, hoping to reach the [[Philosopher's Stone]]. The ensuing chaos led [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] to rescue [[Hermione Granger]] from the [[troll]] in a girls' bathroom. This terrifying event solidified the trio's friendship, a bond that would become central to the entire series.
  * **31 October 1992:** After attending [[Nearly Headless Nick]]'s [[Deathday Party]], [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]] discovered the first attack following the re-opening of the [[Chamber of Secrets]]. They found [[Mrs Norris]], the [[cat]] of caretaker [[Argus Filch]], hanging by her tail from a torch bracket, seemingly dead but actually [[petrified]] by the [[Basilisk]]. On the wall above, a message was written in blood: //"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."// This kicked off a year of terror and suspicion within [[Hogwarts]].
  * **31 October 1993:** [[Sirius Black]], having escaped from [[Azkaban]], successfully infiltrated [[Hogwarts Castle]]—an unprecedented security breach. He slashed the portrait of the [[Fat Lady]], the guardian of [[Gryffindor Tower]], in his attempt to enter the [[common room]] and find [[Peter Pettigrew]], who was disguised as [[Ron]]'s pet [[rat]], [[Scabbers]]. For their safety, the [[Hogwarts]] students spent the night sleeping in the [[Great Hall]] while the staff searched the castle.
  * **31 October 1994:** The [[Hallowe'en Feast]] was the setting for the dramatic selection of the champions for the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. The [[Goblet of Fire]], an impartial magical judge, chose [[Fleur Delacour]] of [[Beauxbatons Academy of Magic]], [[Viktor Krum]] of the [[Durmstrang Institute]], and [[Cedric Diggory]] of [[Hogwarts]]. However, the [[Goblet]] then produced a fourth name—[[Harry Potter]]—despite him being underage and not having entered. This was the result of a powerful [[Confundus Charm]] cast by [[Barty Crouch Jr.]], disguised as [[Alastor Moody]], and was the first major step in [[Lord Voldemort]]'s intricate plan to return to power.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
J.K. Rowling's use of Hallowe'en draws on its real-world associations with death, magic, and the thinning of the veil between worlds, stemming from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. She uses the date as a powerful literary device, marking it as a time when the plot takes a significant and often perilous turn. In nearly every book where Hallowe'en is mentioned, it signals the beginning of a new, central conflict for that year's narrative.