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Ravenclaw Pride Day – March 23, 2024

Let your Ravenclaw flag fly high this Ravenclaw Pride Day, which comes around each year on March 23. Just like the other houses from Hogwarts — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin — on their own pride days, Ravenclaw’s special day celebrates everything about this house, from the house colors to its eccentric alumni. While Ravenclaw Pride Day is a global event, celebrations mostly take place in the U.K. and the U.S. If you want to celebrate in style, check out our gift guide for Harry Potter fans.

History of Ravenclaw Pride Day

J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” universe enticed our imagination with one of the most entertaining and storied school ever – the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one-fourth of which is the Ravenclaw House.

As the story goes, Hogwarts was founded by four great wizards of their time — Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Each Hogwarts House is named after one of these four founders. Ravenclaw, in particular, was given what is by far the most heart-wrenching of all backgrounds among the Houses.

Renowned for her wit and creativity as much as for her beauty, Rowena Ravenclaw founded Hogwarts alongside three of her peers. This close friend of co-founder Helga Hufflepuff was also apparently responsible for deciding the name and location of Hogwarts. According to legend, Ravenclaw had a dream about a wart-covered hog that led her to the cliff of a lake. She was also the architect behind Hogwarts’ maze of corridors that had confused many a poor student, and its ever-changing staircases that led everywhere or nowhere, depending on the day.

Alongside her co-founders, Ravenclaw taught at Hogwarts, particularly cherishing those students with a studious nature and great intelligence. She even taught her daughter, Helena. Unfortunately for her, Helena had been bitten by the green-eyed bug and was envious of her mother’s reputation and popularity. Helena wanted everyone to see that she was more clever and more important than her mother.

Ravenclaw had a diadem in her possession that was said to enhance the wearer’s wisdom; this bit of jewelry would become Helena’s obsession. Her jealousy forced her to steal the diadem, in the hopes that it would grant her greater gifts than her mother ever got. As she ran away to hide in Albania, her heartbroken mother hid her misdeeds from the other Hogwarts founders, refusing to divulge what her daughter had done. This gave birth to a great Hogwarts mystery — the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw did send a Hogwarts student — Roman Ungern von Sternberg — after her daughter, asking him to bring Helena back safely. Stenberg had been in love with Helena for a while and jumped at the chance to bring back the object of his affections. He tracked her to an Albanian forest, but his request to come back to Scotland and Hogwarts was instantly declined by Helena. Stenberg was so angered by Helena’s refusal that he murdered her on the spot, only realizing his mistake only after the deed was done. Overcome by guilt and grief, Stenberg turned his weapon on himself, dying in the same place as the woman he loved.

Eventually, both Stenberg and Helena came back as ghosts, soon making their way to Hogwarts to haunt its halls, serving as the house ghosts for their respective houses. Helena became Ravenclaw’s ‘The Grey Lady,’ and Sternberg was Slytherin’s ‘Bloody Baron.’ As for Ravenclaw, she passed away not long after her daughter’s betrayal due to a broken heart, people believe.

Ravenclaw Pride Day timeline

993
Rowena Ravenclaw Establishes Her Namesake House

In the “Harry Potter” stories, this is when the founder of Ravenclaw establishes her house.

July 31, 2011
A Website for Potterheads

J.K. Rowling partners with Sony to launch a website – Pottermore – featuring unreleased snippets, interactive games, special sorting ceremonies for viewers, and more; this becomes fully functional only in 2012.

2017
Stephen Colbert's a Ravenclaw

The late-night talk show host directly messages J.K. Rowling on Twitter, asking which house she thinks he belongs in; she sorts him into Ravenclaw but says he's got shades of Gryffindor in him too.

2022
A Reunion for the Ages

The “Harry Potter” cast celebrates 20 years since the first film in their reunion special, ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.’

Ravenclaw Pride Day FAQs

What is Hogwarts House Pride Week?

Hogwarts House Pride Week is a series of celebratory days dedicated to each Hogwarts House. It begins on March 20 each year.

What day is Hufflepuff Pride Day?

Hufflepuff Pride Day is celebrated on March 20 and kicks off Hogwarts House Pride Week.

What are Ravenclaw traits?

Ravenclaws are said to be smart, witty, wise, creative, original, and rational.

Ravenclaw Pride Day Activities

  1. Celebrate in blue and bronze

    Get “Harry Potter” merchandise in the Ravenclaw colors of blue and bronze, and wear it proudly on this day. Take it a step further and decorate your home with these colors too, to help it resemble a Ravenclaw dorm.

  2. Host a Ravenclaw-themed party

    Invite all your Potterhead friends and family for a themed party — in blue and bronze, of course. Celebrate the spirit of competition by challenging those sorted into other houses to Harry Potter-themed games and house trivia.

  3. Refresh your memory of the series

    Dive back into the mystical, magical world of Harry Potter and Co. Grab the printed books or rewatch the movies, whichever you prefer.

5 Magical Facts About Ravenclaw And Ravenclaw Pride Day

  1. Ravenclaw's mascot is not a raven

    It's an eagle – that's also where the bronze of Ravenclaw's colors comes from.

  2. Ravenclaw is associated with air

    J.K. Rowling wanted all four Hogwarts houses to represent the four elements; of these, Ravenclaw is supposed to (roughly) be air.

  3. The famous Ravenclaws

    Many famous people in the Wizarding universe have been Ravenclaws — fan-favorite Luna Lovegood, famous wand-maker Garrick Ollivander, and Ignatia Wildsmith, a.k.a. the inventor of Floo powder.

  4. Ravenclaw in other languages

    Translations have sometimes moved away from the founder's name — it became 'Corvinal' or 'raven' in Brazil, 'serres d’aigle' for 'eagle's claw' in France, and 'Ochi-de-soim' for 'hawk's eye' in Brazil.

  5. Hogwarts Pride days in a row

    Gryffindor Pride Day is celebrated right before Ravenclaw Pride Day, on March 22.

Why We Love Ravenclaw Pride Day

  1. Ravenclaws cherish intelligence

    The house is all about brains. After all, their motto is 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure'.

  2. Learning is celebrated

    Ravenclaws and their fierce thirst for knowledge at all times help us mortals see that learning is to be celebrated. It inspires fans to become more like Ravenclaws — witty, intelligent, pursuing knowledge at all times, creative, and wise.

  3. They embrace quirkiness

    In fact, quirk is actually encouraged, if their alumni are to be carefully considered. For a Ravenclaw, being different is not an oddball trait but instead makes you who you are — unique.

Ravenclaw Pride Day dates

YearDateDay
2024March 23Saturday
2025March 23Sunday
2026March 23Monday
2027March 23Tuesday
2028March 23Thursday

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