The back story of Halloween - where did it come from?

At the end of this month, trick-or-treaters everywhere will be donning their favourite spooky outfits and taking to the streets, knocking on neighbours' doors and demanding sweet treats to put in their Halloween bags. Homes will be decorated in scary decorations, and office Halloween decorations will be no different. But this is not how Halloween traditionally started. In fact, Halloween began thousands of years ago during pagan times.

Halloween origins can be traced to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter months. The festival also symbolises the boundary between the living and the dead. It was believed that on the 31st of October, ghosts would revisit the living world. Bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits, and Druids would lead the celebrations. During the following decades, Britain was invaded by Christianity and the festivals that came with it, including All Hallows Day - a festival held to remember those who died for their beliefs.

All Hallows Day was originally celebrated in May, however, it was moved to the 1st of November during the 8th Century. It was thought that Pope Gregory (who moved the date) was trying to get rid of the Samhain festival. The night of Samhain, therefore, became known as Hallow Eve before changing to Halloween. It is thought during this night, the spirit world is able to contact the physical world, and magic is at its strongest.

5 top tips for decorating your office this Halloween

If you are planning on bringing Halloween into the office this year, we have got some great ideas for your office Halloween decorations. Check out our top tips below for creating a spooky atmosphere in your office this year:

Mug shots of all your employees

Use this time to create spooky mug shots of all your employees and think up some terrible reasons they are wanted by the police. Did they take too many tea breaks, or are they always stealing other people's food? Put them up around your office and see how long it takes for people to spot their shots.

Organise a costume contest

There is often nothing that gets the morale boosted more than dressing up for an office Halloween fancy dress and holding a contest between your staff. Give the best dressed an hour off at the end of the day or simply have a parade of all the costumes. You may want to rethink this if you are having visitors in!

Host a Halloween breakfast/lunch

If you need to have a team meeting on the day of Halloween, why not theme the meeting and host a spooky breakfast or lunch alongside it? Pick up some spooky treats and decorate the meeting table with decorations to boost your employee's motivation a little.

Decoration themes

Go all out and complete redecorate your office Halloween style. Pick a theme such as day of the dead or a favourite horror film and get everything you can to truly transform your office. Your employees will love it, and we guarantee the office will be a happy (if not slightly scary) place to be.

Place skeletons around the office

To give your staff a real fright, why not place skeletons around the office at random intervals? Maybe some could be sitting on employees' chairs, whilst others could be hiding in the cupboards. Try to keep your employees guessing throughout the day about where they will find one next.

The benefits of office Halloween decorations

In recent years, Halloween has fast become a popular and festive time. Being able to dress up in scary, silly or creative costumes whilst eating lots of sweets and walking in groups during the evening offers an air of excitement to the occasion. By bringing Halloween into the workplace, you can encourage levels of team spirit and hilarity. This is particularly beneficial when you consider that Halloween is often a cold and rainy day, being at the end of October. Decorating your office Halloween style shows your team that you are fun and up for a laugh.

Halloween decorations could boost morale and motivation within the office. It could also bring teams together as they laugh and compliment each other on Halloween outfits and discuss what they will be doing that evening. Particularly for creative spaces, like designers, developers and publishers, decorating an office for Halloween can also get the inspirational juices flowing and show off your creative streak.

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Replace your frightfully old office furniture with RBF

Whilst this Halloween is a time for scaring your teammates, freaking them out with unwanted and old office furniture is not the best idea! If your furniture is looking a little run down, missing important bits or could do with an upgrade, don't let it become part of the office Halloween decorations! Get in touch with RBF today and see how we could provide you with upgraded office furniture for a fraction of the price you would pay on the high street.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and until then, happy Halloween!