Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, I’m going to
once again be discussing the famed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. More specifically-
I’m going to be addressing a lingering question that I’m sure has come across the minds
of fans at one point or another: is there a Hogwarts GRADUATION ceremony? I know that
a few of you have requested this video in the comments- so here you go!
Graduation ceremonies are a right of passage- and they exist at nearly every level of academic
institution. Whether it’s finishing primary school-or finally graduating from university-
a graduation is a way to celebrate academic achievement- a way for students to be praised
for their accomplishments. These types of ceremonies usually involve the handing off
of a diploma or degree- an accreditation of some sort- as a way of indicating that the
student met all of the necessary requirements to graduate.
So- as Hogwarts operates just like any other institution: with years of progression, classes,
professors and schedules- then in theory it SHOULD have a graduation ceremony? RIght?
Well, the truth is that the ceremony was omitted from the Harry Potter story because Rowling
felt that the inclusion of the ceremony would have been an ‘absurd anticlimax’. It also
wouldn’t have really made much sense to include the graduation as Harry, Ron and Hermione
skipped their seventh year, and technically didn’t meet the requirements to graduate
that same year. I can’t quite imagine the film/book ending with a graduation ceremony
that failed to include the very trio that saved the wizarding world from Voldemort-
that would be quite an injustice.
HOWEVER- it turns out that just because graduation was omitted from the books/films- it doesn’t
mean that it doesn’t exist. In fact, JK Rowling confirmed the existence of the Hogwarts
graduation ceremony in an interview:
INT: "Now, you know what I'm curious about now, is that one of the neatest things about
the Hogwarts tradition is the entrance ceremony, from the whole riding the boats to the castle
to the sorting ceremony. What kind of traditions are there for graduation, and leaving Hogwarts?"
J.K. Rowling: "Do you know, I'm really glad you asked that, because I felt a huge sadness
that I wouldn't write a graduation scene. I really, during the final book, kept thinking
it would've been — it felt sad that the book wasn't going to end with that feast scene,
the graduation scene, but it couldn't, it just couldn't. That's not the way it could've
ended. It would've felt far too trite, and a lot of people felt the epilogue was too
sentimental. I think to have a graduation scene on top of what just happened would've
been absurd anticlimax."
INT: "Did you have ideas for kinds of traditions they would do, like ride the boats back out
of Hogwarts —"
J.K. Rowling: "Oh yeah, definitely! The boats would've been the most poetic and beautiful
way to for them to leave, and symbolic in that they — Harry would have seen the Threstrals
again. You know what I mean? It would've been a return to innocence really, and passage
of water is so symbolic, in history of magic. So yeah, I think it would've been great."
And there you have it- the Hogwarts ‘graduation’ ceremony would be comprised of graduating
students floating away from the school on the very enchanted boats that brought them
there. Though not explicitly stated by Rowling, I would imagine that in addition to this there
would have been some sort of ceremony in the great hall-perhaps akin to the announcement
of the winners of the house cup. We also mustn’t forget the feast- ooohh the delicious feast.
That’s it for today’s video- what did YOU imagine the Hogwarts graduation was like?
Did you know that there was one? Let me know in the comment section below
Before I end the video with a closing quote, I just wanted to let you all know about a
new aspect of the videos moving forward. I’ve typically ended videos with quotes that I
felt were powerful or particularly resonated with me- however, moving forward I’m going
to attempt to close each video with a new and different quote from the series .I thought
it could be fun for you guys to try and identify who said the quote by leaving a comment on
the video.
Until next time
“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts
are open.”