HOUSTON – With Halloween around the corner, here is a snapshot of how Halloween arrived in Texas.
The origin of Halloween dates back more than 2,000 years ago to an ancient festival called “Samhain,” a holiday marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter in Ireland, according to KVUE.
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On the night known as “All Hallow’s Eve,” Irish farmers believed spirits could rise from their graves.
Some used disguises to scare off the spirits.
Bringing the tradition to America
The traditions of Halloween were carried across the Atlantic Ocean by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
In America, the celebration became a community-centered holiday and later featured trick-or-treating as an inexpensive and easy way for people to celebrate.
West Texas' glowing lights
There is a old tale of glowing lights in the sky in West Texas, according to KVUE.
As history has it, people can view the light sighting late at night on US-90 between Alpine and Marfa.
The Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Center serves as an open area place that includes binoculars where people can stop and look for the lights.
The city of Marfa opened the space in 2003, in partnership with The Texas Department of Transportation.
Goatman of Lake Worth
Have you heard the story of the Goatman of Lake Worth?
It all started when a group of people say they saw a seven-foot, 350-pound beast in Fort Worth in the summer of 1969, according to KVUE.
Goatman, who was half-man and half-goat, was described as hairy, horned and covered in scales. Witnesses said he ran across a cliff and tossed a pickup truck tire over the edge.
This myth quickly spread and the media had to dispel it. Nonetheless, the story inspired a play and a short book.
Haunted buildings in Austin
Haunted buildings are the link some of Austin’s most frightening tales.
For example, the Littlefield Home on the University of Texas campus. The house was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield and his wife Alice Littlefield, according to Curbed. After they both passed, Alice left the property to the university.
The Victorian home is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Alice, who roams the property and nearby dormitories. Some also said they heard her playing the piano late at night.