Paper faces On Parade:
a Night of magic & mystery at Hogwarts
In a grand display of enchantment and extravagance from our lovely Head Students, Lissa and Elara, the Room of Requirement underwent a breathtaking transformation during the third week of Term, morphing into a magnificent masquerade ball. It’s been quite a year since the alumni returned to the castle, filling the corridors with vibrant shades of red, blue, green, and yellow once more. The ball, named "Paper Faces On Parade," promised an evening filled with delightful surprises and unforgettable moments.
As our members entered the dancefloor sporting beautifully crafted masks, it didn’t take much to get them dancing. A mask-designing competition had also taken place, and the results were a sight to behold as participants truly outdid themselves in an abundance of glitter, flowers, and feathers.
1st place: Rowena Riddle
2nd place: Darling Dal
Pass the Mask: A Race to Remember:
To ignite the competitive spirit, an exhilarating game of "Pass the Mask" ensued. Our red and blue teams went head-to-head, racing against the clock to don and doff their Venetian masks as swiftly as possible. In the end, it was the blue team, composed of Reyna Walles, Omer, Annabeth Granger, and SusanHP, who emerged victorious, leaving everyone in awe of their lightning-fast mask-switching skills.
A Taste of Aussie Delights:
After the adrenaline subsided, the head students led our members on a tour of the Australian cuisine at the food table. Familiar favourites graced the platters, including generous servings of Milo — undoubtedly, the only way to enjoy it is by the spoonful. Fairy bread, Woolies chocolate mudcakes, and Vegemite sarmies were also featured, transporting everyone to a land down under, even if just for a moment.
Unmasking the Past: Guess the Alumni:
Harnessing the power of anonymity that the masks provided, the final event of the night became a thrilling guessing game. Participants were challenged to identify the alumni hidden behind their masks. Through a series of questions ranging from favourite colours to something no one would guess about them, some answers lead to easy guesses - I suppose some alumni are too easily recognizable! (cough Rei and her zombies cough) In the midst of the lighthearted banter, I realized that the majority vote for a chosen superpower was teleportation! You know, you’d think that apparition doesn’t exist. ;)
As the night drew to a close, the echoes of laughter and merriment reverberated through the halls of Hogwarts. "Paper Faces On Parade" provided a magical space for students and alumni alike to reconnect and celebrate the year behind us. Here's to the chaos it bought!
starlight
House Point
Standings:
Recent
Events:
* Head Student Event
* Aragon-Gagwilde Cup
wHERE cHERRY bLOSSOMS fALL
A lesser-known but still exciting tradition of myHogwarts revolves around our very own travel agency, Terrific Tours, which is in no way associated with the Oceanic Wizarding Travel Agency that gifted us that travesty of a tour during our latest Gap Year. Our Terrific Tours and its equally terrific tour guides are responsible for setting up exciting trips for us that take us from the warm waters of Greece to the dreadfully frigid ice caps of Antarctica. This year, however, during Interim, our tour guides decided on a brand new destination: Japan! Porkeys were made, rooms were booked, bags were packed, and as soon as Interim came around, we were off to the country of cherry blossoms and legends, of cutting-edge technology and anime!
Upon arrival, we stayed at the lovely Sumiyoshi Ryokan, a traditional Japanese cottage with equally traditional rooms that were both comfortable and eccentric, as our beds were quite literally... on the floor. This time, a game based on Travel Bucketlists was prepared for us, with participants having to match each person with their chosen bucket list location based on a provided image and a short description. This game kept the travellers occupied until everyone had arrived and settled in their rooms, at which point the real fun began...
The first stop of this tour was none other than Tokyo, the capital of Japan and one of its most developed and mesmerizing cities, combining the old with the new, the traditional with the modern. The Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center was our initial meeting point, with our tour guides providing us with a conglomerate of fascinating facts about the city, its monuments, its food, and its most striking features.
Beyond that, we had the chance to participate in a Cosplay Anime Contest, where we were called forth to showcase our best cosplays inspired by our favourite characters, and numerous exciting Pokémon battles that had us competing over our Pokémons' best stats. Before we departed, we had to cross a... challenging road known as Shibuya Crossing, with themed haikus being the price for those who stumbled, and even participate in a Sumo fight at the bustling Ryōgoku Kokugikan, where we were called to claim the ring while tricking each other into fleeing it. 😄
Our next stop was Kyoto, the ancient cultural capital of Japan, whose history and monuments we became acquainted with at the Kansai Tourist Information Center Kyoto, where we also shared our favourite Japanese myths with the group. After departing from the centre, we headed to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, where we were promptly called to escape from a complicated bamboo maze!
We also visited the Samurai and Ninja Museum, where we had the chance to learn about the two different kinds of Japanese warriors while playing an elimination game... not human elimination game, of course, only food was involved. 🥷Mount Inari was our next destination, where the tour guides separated us into two teams and guided us to the top and through 10,000 Tori gates with a thrilling game of trivia. Of course, after all this hiking, we were all positively famished, so we ended this day with some delicious Menbaka Fire Ramen and a relaxing alphabet game where we named Japanese-related words for a chance to win points.
Our final stop was Hiroshima, infamous for its association with the atomic bomb and the Second World War, where we stopped by the Hiroshima Station Tourist Information Center for a deeper dive into the historical and cultural reference points of the city. Naoshima Island was our next destination, where our well-informed tour guides led us through an exploration of some of the most beautiful modern art pieces the island had to offer before also asking us to share some of our own favourite artistic creations.
The Hiroshima Botanical Garden captured our attention with its vibrant selection of plants as our tour guides kept our interest with a flower-themed guessing game and exciting facts about the flora of this beautiful country. Before officially departing from Hiroshima and Japan, we could not forget to pay a visit to the Children's Peace Monument, where we were introduced to the wonderful craft of origami and even made our own paper cranes to pay our respects to this world-famous monument.
Overall, I was in awe of the culture, the views, and the historical monuments scattered across this breathtaking country. The food was also absolutely delicious so that is an added bonus for me. I enjoyed reading through all the carefully designed posts our knowledgeable tour guides put together and I certainly left this tour with my cognitive horizons expanded. The activities were engaging and just the perfect amount of challenging, while the tour managed to capture the perfect balance between the modern world of Japan and the ancient remnants of a civilisation that is still thriving. I can confidently say I added another unforgettable experience to my books after participating in this tour and I am looking forward to seeing what other surprises our tour guides will have for us in the future. 😊
ISABELLA
