There was a special twist in the rules in the 25th annual Hunger Games. This year, the residents of the districts had to vote on which children would be selected as tributes to head into the arena. This edition of the Games set a precedent for the two other Quarter Quells that followed in the future.
The Cruel Twist of the 25th Hunger Games
“When the laws for the Games were laid out, they dictated that every twenty-five years the anniversary would be marked by a Quarter Quell. It would call for a glorified version of the Games to make fresh the memory of those killed by the districts’ rebellion.”
‘Catching Fire’
Quarter Quells were introduced by the Capitol to mark the anniversary of the defeat of the district for 25 years. Each Quarter Quell was supposed to be celebrated with extra grandeur and was supposed to be anticipated with great excitement. However, this was hardly the case as the Quarter Quell also introduced a new twist in the rules to make the lives of the district citizens even more miserable.
“But to make things even worse, this is the year of the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games, and that means it’s also a Quarter Quell. They occur every twenty-five years, marking the anniversary of the districts’ defeat with over-the-top celebrations and, for extra fun, some miserable twist for the tributes.”
‘Catching Fire’
The 25th Hunger Games was the First Quarter Quell to ever take place in the nation. It occurred on the 25th anniversary of the end of the First Rebellion or the “Dark Days.”
The Games introduced a cruel twist in the rules, which required every citizen in the district to vote on who they would like to send into the arena. The election system was introduced to remind the rebel citizens that it was their choice to incite violence during the First Rebellion.
The Reading of the Card
The twist in the rules is always revealed several days before the Reaping Ceremony. It is done on a special occasion and broadcast to the entire country via television.
“That’s right, this year will be the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, and that means it’s time for our third Quarter Quell!”
“What will they do?” asks Prim. “It isn’t for months yet.” We turn to our mother, whose expression is solemn and distant, as if she’s remembering something. “It must be the reading of the card.”
‘Catching Fire’
The reading of the card typically begins with the anthem of Panem, “Gem of Panem,” being played. At the end of the anthem, the President of Panem (who is President Snow in ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy) steps up to the stage to announce the rules of the Quarter Quell.
The President is accompanied by a young boy dressed in white, carrying a simple wooden box. The box contains thousands of ideas for future Hunger Games and Quarter Quells, each carefully prepared and marked by the creators of the Hunger Games.
The President begins with a speech about the “Dark Days” and explains the origin of the Quarter Quells. Finally, he draws a yellowed envelope from the box and reads out the rules for the upcoming Quarter Quell.
“On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it.”
President Snow in ‘Catching Fire’
The Reaping of the 25th Hunger Games
In ‘Catching Fire,’ Katniss Everdeen speculated that being chosen for the 25th Hunger Games would have been much worse than being chosen for any other edition of the Games. This is because being chosen for the 25th Hunger Games would have meant that your neighbors in the districts turned you in.
“I wonder how that would have felt. Picking the kids who had to go. It is worse, I think, to be turned over by your own neighbors than have your name drawn from the reaping ball.”
Katniss Everdeen in ‘Catching Fire’
Not much is known about how the election system was implemented before the Reaping Ceremony. It is possible that a master log was created for each district with the names of eligible children. A day that was somehow significant to the First Rebellion might have been selected for the elections to take place across the 12 districts. The day was likely celebrated with pomp and splendor.
Districts with a smaller population, such as District 12, might have directly voted on any name from the master log. However, this process is not feasible for districts with a larger population, such as District 6. In larger districts, therefore, the population might have been divided into different sections, and candidates selected from each section.
It is assumed that in the Career Districts, most people voted either for the strongest candidates or for those who wished to volunteer in the 25th Hunger Games. However, it was not that simple in the other districts. In the non-career districts, it is likely that citizens voted for criminals, disliked children, or children without any friends and family.
Tribute Parade, Training, and Interviews
Not much is known about the pre-Games processes of the 25th Hunger Games. By the beginning of these Games, Coriolanus Snow may have risen in the ranks to become the authoritarian President of Panem. Thus, most of the policies introduced by him during his stint as a Gamemaker (after his role as a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games) were probably well underway.
Thus, it is possible that the 25th Hunger Games had a Tribute Parade after the Reaping Ceremony. However, the parade might have looked different from that of the 74th and 75th Hunger Games as the concept was still in its nascent stages. It is also possible that tributes were allowed to train before the start of the Games, as stronger and skilled tributes provided extra entertainment in the arena.
Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, formerly a weatherman, might have graduated to become the permanent host of the Hunger Games, after the 10th Hunger Games. As such, interviews were likely held with tributes to the 25th Hunger Games, much like the 10th Hunger Games. Tributes were possibly asked how it felt for them to be voted into the arena.
Aftermath of the 25th Hunger Games
“Is the person who won in twenty-five in here?” I ask.
“I don’t think so. Whoever it was must be dead by now, and Effie only sent me victors we might have to face.”
‘Catching Fire’
The victor of the 25th Hunger Games is unknown. The victor was 15-18 years old, as Finnick Odair became the youngest victor ever after winning the 65th Hunger Games at the age of 14. The victor likely mentored future tributes from their district.
Effie Trinket sends Katniss and Peeta a box of tapes of the Games with winners that might be chosen for the 75th Hunger Games. In this box, the tape of the 25th Hunger Games is absent. Thus, when Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are chosen as tributes for the 75th Hunger Games, the victor of the 25th Hunger Games is dead.
It is not likely that the victor of the 25th Hunger Games died of old age. This is because they must have been aged around 65-68 at the time of the Third Quarter Quell. It is likely that the victor died by suicide or disease even before the 50th Hunger Games, as Haymitch Abernathy does not mention the victor in the trilogy as well.
Future Quarter Quells
The First Quarter Quell was succeeded by two more Quarter Quells in the future. The second Quarter Quell, or the 50th Hunger Games, took place 25 years after the first one. This year, the special edition called for twice the number of tributes to be sent from each district.
“On the fiftieth anniversary,” the president continues, “as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes.”
‘Catching Fire’
Thus, the 50th Hunger Games was the only Hunger Games to ever have 48 tributes in the arena at the same time. The victor of this edition of the Hunger Games was Haymitch Abernathy from District 12. Haymitch is the sole living Victor from District 12.
While Haymitch was the male tribute from District 12, Maysilee Donner was his district partner. Haymitch won the 2nd Quarter Quell by using the forcefield to his advantage. When the District 1 female threw her ax at him, he ducked to allow the ax to hit the force field and bounce back into the skull of the girl. Haymitch’s family was killed as a warning to him to no longer take advantage of the Capitol’s creations.
The Third Quarter Quell, or the 75th Hunger Games, took place 50 years after the first one. This year, the special edition of the Games called for tributes to be reaped from the existing pool of victors from each district. As such, former victors such as Johanna Mason, Mags, Chaff, Gloss, Cecelia, Brutus, and Blight made an appearance in the Third Quarter Quell.
“On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.”
‘Catching Fire’
Thus, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were reaped for the Hunger Games for two consecutive years, marking a phenomenon that had never happened before in the history of the Hunger Games. This edition of the Games was also the only one to remain unfinished without a victor. This is because the arena was destroyed by rebels and the Hunger Games were discontinued.
The Third Quarter Quell was the last Hunger Games to ever take place in Panem as the Second Rebellion began soon after.
FAQs
Who won the 25th Hunger Games?
The victor of the 25th Hunger Games is unknown. The victor would have been aged anywhere between 15 to 18 when they won, as Finnick Odair later became the youngest victor ever at the age of 14. The 25th Hunger Games is the First Quarter Quell. It marks the 25th anniversary of the end of the First Rebellion. This year, district citizens were required to hold an election and vote on the children they would like to send into the arena.
What was the 50th Quarter Quell?
It is not known what the 50th Quarter Quell was meant to be. However, it was common knowledge that the creators of the Games had prepared various ideas for thousands of Hunger Games, which meant that the idea for the 50th Quarter Quell was decided as well.
What was the 100th Quarter Quell supposed to be?
No one knows what the 100th Quarter Quell was supposed to be. The Hunger Games was abolished well before it could ever take place. The last Hunger Games to ever take place in Panem was the 75th Hunger Games, which remained unfinished due to the destruction of the arena by Katniss Everdeen.
