The Northern Region celebrated Halloween by drawing inspiration from favorites such as Encanto, Hotel Transylvania and Stranger Things to decorate its offices and facilities. Celebrations are not just for those working there, as all Tecpetrol people are invited to join in and vote.

The origins of Hallowe’en, an abbreviation of All Hallow’s Eve, the Eve of All Saint’s Day, lie far back in pagan times, in the Celtic tradition of Samhain which was celebrated in Ireland, held as the summer harvest came to an end and the nights drew in. The Celts believed that at this time, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, with the ghosts of the dead returning to earth; villagers dressed up in animal skins to avoid detection by the spirits, as forerunners of today’s rather more eclectic costumes. The traditional colors of Hallowe’en are the black of night and the orange of the first light of dawn.

The Northern Region of Tecpetrol issued an open invitation to join these celebrations: here’s how we did it:

Colombia:

The Pendare field staff and the Bogotá offices split up into teams to decorate the different working spaces while the rest of Tecpetrol were asked to choose the best décor. In addition, an individual hat contest was held, where people had to come up with hats that alluded to films and series. Meanwhile, the company’s contractors, grouped together under the slogan of #OneTeam, decorated their trucks like parade floats.

Ecuador:

While the Quito offices were decked out in all things spooky for Halloween, dedicating October 31 to fun costumes and trick-or-treat candy for employees, in Campo Libertador they held a speed costume contest called ‘dress up in a minute!’

Mexico:

Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead at this time of year, one of the most important and colorful festivals held in Mexico, where people pay tribute to the fleeting return to this sphere of the souls of the deceased. These spirits return to their homes to visit their relatives and enjoy the offerings laid on altars in their honor.

At the Misión block in Mexico, a typical altar is set up every year to honor two employees who passed away in 2010: Alberto Rodríguez González, from Tecpetrol, and Sergio Salinas de la Riva, from a contractor company.

As for the Halloween festivities per se, an afternoon was organized in the area for children to do their traditional ‘trick or treat’ visit, knocking on doors in the neighborhood to ask for candy, while a mega costume contest was held for everybody to join in.

“All these initiatives are part of Tecpetrol's well-being program and are about promoting integration and happy, pleasant and harmonious workplace environments. And we also wanted to foster the kinds of actions that encourage people to get creative,” explains Karina Valero, HRBP Manager in Colombia.