Origins of Halloween and modern celebrations
Halloween has its origins in Celtic rituals: the Celts believed that October 31st was the beginning of their New Year and the junction between the end of summer and the beginning of winter. They called it "Samhain" and believed that it was the time when ghosts and evil spirits returned to the earth. To ward off evil spirits, bonfires are lit, gruesome masks and costumes are worn, and rituals and predictions of the future are performed.
The most traditional way of celebrating Halloween is through creative decorations and candy collection, with both children and the elderly participating in decorating their own dwellings, such as houses, apartments or school dormitories, with a variety of decorations, lights and pumpkins to create a spooky atmosphere. In addition, they participate in trick-or-treating, preparing elaborate candies at home for other children or knocking on doors in fancy Halloween costumes to ask for candy.
And in modern times, young people celebrate Halloween in a much more diverse way. The most popular way is to continue the tradition and have a costume party, where they dress up in fancy clothes and scary makeup, such as demons, zombies, vampires, superheroes, and so on. It's a chance to show creativity and individuality, and they may enter a party contest for the best costume. In addition to this, young people like to organize themed parties such as horror movie marathons, haunted house experiences and escape games. These activities are usually associated with horror, suspense and supernatural elements, bringing excitement and fun to young people.
With the rise of social media networks in recent years, more and more trend-seeking young people will engage in Halloween element challenges. They will utilize social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to participate in Halloween-related challenges and trends. They will share photos and videos of their dress-up, make-up and Halloween activities to interact and showcase their creativity with others. Some cities even host Halloween parades and music festivals, which young people attend to enjoy parades and performances, or to listen to music and participate in party activities.
Tips for better preparation for halloween events
Ellie, our company's HR, is present to say
- If I were to prepare for company's Halloween event, I might consider the following：
- Theme Decoration: I will discuss and determine the theme decoration plan with my colleagues, such as haunted house, witch school, horror movie, etc.. Then, I will prepare the required decorations such as balloons, hangings, posters, etc. to create a festive atmosphere.
- Candy and Snacks: Halloween events are not without candy and snacks. I will purchase some small packages of candy such as chocolate and candy corn, as well as some snacks and munchies such as chips and popcorn for everyone to enjoy.
- Activity Games: To add interactivity and entertainment, I will prepare some Halloween-themed games such as riddles, prank boxes, and puzzle contests. To organize these games, I may need to print riddles or make game props.
- Prizes and Gifts: In order to encourage employees to participate in activities, I will prepare some small prizes or gifts as rewards for games and activities. These prizes can be small toys, stationery items, electronic devices and so on.
In preparing for the above activities, I may use office supplies such as:
- Printer and paper: for printing decorations, riddles, game props, etc.
- Stickers and labels: for decorating items, marking activity areas or prizes.
- Meeting room equipment: If I need to organize a large event or game, I may use equipment such as projectors and speakers.
- Computer and office software: for designing decorating schemes, making game props or preparing arrangements for events.
The above are office supplies that I may prepare and use as an employee for a company Halloween event. Specific preparation and usage may vary depending on the size of the company and the needs of the event.
6 offline Halloween events
The use of whiteboards in offline events can increase interaction and creativity, allowing participants to become more engaged and enjoy the game. Whiteboards can be used in the following roles in the game:
- Whiteboard Drawing Solitaire: Using a whiteboard as a drawing board, you can play a variety of drawing games, such as drawing contests or people taking turns drawing scary or humorous patterns and others guessing what they are.
- Guessing Game: Write down some Halloween-related words on the whiteboard, then participants take turns describing the words and others guess the correct word based on the description.
- Team games: Use a whiteboard to divide up the playing area, e.g. draw a maze, and then team members can go on a scavenger hunt or solve puzzles in the maze.
- Memory game: draw some patterns or words on a whiteboard, then participants have a few seconds to observe, then close the whiteboard and everyone tries to recall what was drawn.
- Puzzle Solving: Draw some puzzles or mazes on the whiteboard for participants to solve together, e.g. draw a combination lock and participants need to guess the correct combination based on the hints.
- Jigsaw puzzle: The whiteboard is divided into sections, each with a jigsaw piece, and participants need to work together to put together the complete pattern.
How to interact with colleagues in remote gaming?
If the office's Halloween event requires inviting remote team members to participate, here are a few ways an online event might work for you:
7 virtual Halloween activities
Virtual Costume Contest
Notify all coworkers in advance and have everyone show off their Halloween costumes in a video conference on Halloween day. A panel of judges or a vote can be set up to select the best costume and prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Whiteboard Makeup Contest
On a whiteboard, each participant can use drawing tools to scribble on their avatar for a makeup contest. Various scary and creative elements can be used, such as blood, scary makeup, etc.
Online games or competitions
Choose games or competitions that are suitable for online play, such as Halloween-themed riddles, puzzles, and online escape games. Remote coworkers can be divided into small groups to share screens or participate in games together via videoconferencing for added interaction and competition.
Online sharing of horror stories or film sessions
Colleagues are invited to share their favorite horror stories or films and discuss and exchange them in a video conference. Everyone can watch short films, horror movies or listen to people's real-life horror experiences together.
Virtual Halloween Meal
Inform remote colleagues in advance so that everyone can prepare some special food or drink to show and taste together in a video conference. It allows everyone to share recipes or special Halloween ingredients for the food they have prepared.
Digital Halloween Decoration Sharing
Encourage remote colleagues to show off their home Halloween decorations in a video conference, either by sharing the screen or taking photos and sharing them for everyone to enjoy and interact with each other.
Virtual Halloween Concert
Invite remote colleagues to share their favorite Halloween music or songs and enjoy them together in a video conference. This can be done by sharing audio or video links so that everyone can enjoy the music together.
Tools & platforms to make the event better
The following tools and platforms can be used when organizing online events:
- Video conferencing software: e.g. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. for organizing video conferences and interactions.
- Collaboration tools: whiteboard tools such as NearHub Board for drawing and doodling or question contests.
- Online gaming platforms: e.g. Kahoot, Jackbox Games, etc. for online games and competitions.
- Social media and chat tools: e.g. Slack, Microsoft Teams' chat feature, WhatsApp, etc. for communicating, sharing photos and videos, etc.
Conclusion
Whiteboards play a creative, interactive and demonstrative role in Halloween events, especially in remote celebrating events, it can stimulate the creativity and imagination of participants, increase the fun and interactivity of the event, and also facilitate the recording and sharing of the process and results of the event.
The whiteboard is a flexible tool that can be used to draw game props or as a canvas. Drawing prank props, game elements or puzzles, the whiteboard adds more fun and challenge to Halloween activities. When it becomes a creative canvas, participants can use drawing tools to create their own scary or humorous patterns on it, showing their creativity and imagination. Not only that, the whiteboard can be used for various team games or guessing games, where participants can draw, describe or guess together on the whiteboard, adding an element of interaction and cooperation and promoting communication and exchange between teams. The whiteboard can also record the scores, results or puzzle solving process of the game, making it easy to organize and share. At the same time, the patterns and creations on the whiteboard can also be used as displays for the activity to show to other participants or the audience, increasing the fun and visibility of the activity.
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