Castle brings fantasy to life for Brazil's wannabe wizards

China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-02 08:18

CAMPOS DO JORD, Brazil - At a castle, a werewolf growls in a cage while a wizard casts spells to try to calm the beast down. Not to worry - it's just a normal day at Brazil's magic school.

The werewolf is an actor in costume and the spells presumably wouldn't work in the face of a real mythical beast. But anyone entering the Magic and Witchcraft School near Sao Paulo must leave disbelief at the castle gate.

Although inspired by the world of the Harry Potter books and films created by J.K. Rowling, where lucky children go to study at the magical school Hogwarts, the Brazilian version says its curriculum has a definite local flavor.

From its founding in 2015, "the idea was to adapt, not to copy exactly, the feel of Hogwarts", said Vanessa Godoy, 27, who is behind the idea in Campos do Jordao, located about 200 kilometers from Sao Paulo.

Clients at the school - which operates for occasional four-day sessions - are all fans of the Harry Potter series.

But since copyright laws limit what Godoy and her fellow wizards can do, they wave the creative magic wand and use Brazilian folklore to fill the gaps.

"We have our own stories. We get into a lot of the mythology because Brazil is a very magical country," she said.

Hogwarts-style classes are offered in Potions and Elixirs, Witchcraft and History of Magic, and of course there are dances, contests and a tournament based on quidditch, the high-paced game played on flying broomsticks in Rowling's novels.

But there are also things you'd only learn in Brazil, like the use of hairs from an indigenous mythical character known for protecting forests and scales from a siren if you want to activate a magic wand.

Learning these supposed secrets is not cheap: the four-day session at the castle - a real castle which normally is used as a hotel - costs 2,650 reais, or more than $800.

Clients range from 5 to 65 years old, with the majority around 25. They're judges, models, teachers, nurses and students, but all sharing a passion for the Potter phenomenon.

"To be here, you need to enter into the character. You are a student and you are learning to be a wizard. You need to respect the teachers and rules. This makes the experience more real," said Renie Santos, 22, who created the YouTube channel Expresso de Hogwarts.

"The students give a lot. A big part of the sense of immersion is thanks to them," Godoy added.

Agence France-presse