Mrs. Rowling’s canonical Harry Potter books are entirely secular. They do mention a Christmas break, but only in the Christmas feast and Christmas presents sense. In other words, even less than the secular world since she omits any reference to Santa. This is acceptable in a children’s book aimed at broad appeal, but leaves us with a glaring hole in understanding the people she is depicting.
A number of fan fiction writers have speculated that the magical population would have their own religion, often heavily influenced by the writer’s (generally superficial) understanding of Celtic druids.1 This is generally accompanied as a partial justification for pure-blood bigotry.
Where this linkage is present, it falls down utterly. None of the first generation magical students agreed to convert religions as a prerequisite of learning to use an innate talent. Nor did their parents agree on their behalf. This argument that they should practice the “magical religion” and/or “magical holidays” immediately triggers the immigration argument.
Works include but are not limited to:
- Nigelcat1. Exodus Published 2015-08-20.
- Irish216. The Sinistra Ward Published: 2015-12-04. Updated: 2016-08-05.