Groundhog Day
Ever since the Bill Murray
and Andie Macdowell movie Groundhog Day came out, this once fringe
holiday has become a national treasure.
Celebrated every February 2, Groundhog Day is a holiday that reverts to
ancient times where animals predicted the future. A fun day for families, adults, and kids, Groundhog Day is really
the only day of the year that the whole country fixates on the quiet town of
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every
Groundhog Day, the groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his electrically
heated burrow and looks for his shadow.
Whether he sees his shadow or not predicts the fate of the winter. As a result, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his
shadow, he will return to his hole.
This means that he’s predicting six more weeks of bad weather. However, if Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see
his shadow, this is a sign of spring.
To celebrate this, Punxsutawney Phil stays above ground. Celebrated as the world’s smallest and furriest
weather forecaster, Punxsutawney Phil is definitely a diva among
groundhogs. Originally billed as ”Punxsutawney
Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and
Weather Prophet Extraordinary,” Punxsutawney Phil is easily the most famous
groundhog in America.
Although Groundhog Day is
mainly celebrated in America, its roots are European. The traditions of Groundhog Day are similar to the beliefs
associated with Candlemas Day.
Candlemas Day was a tradition celebrated by early Christians in Europe
and it was a customary day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to
the people. Considering that it fell in
the heart of Winter, Candlemas day always had a weather component to it. According to an old English song:
If Candlemas be fair and
bright
Come, Winter, have
another flight;
If Candlemas brings cloud
and rain
Go Winter, and come not
again,
These types of verses can be
found in other European cultures. It is
believed that the tradition of Candlemas Day was spread to the Germans by Roman
legions during their conquest of the northern country. Eventually, the Germans picked up the
traditions of Candlemas Day and concluded that if that day were sunny, an
animal would cast a shadow. If this were
to occur, this would be a sign of six more weeks of bad weather.
Eventually, Germans would be
the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania and they brought the traditions of
Candlemas Day to America. Although, hedgehogs
were used in Candlemas Day predictions of the weather, these early settlers
discovered that Pennsylvania was full of groundhogs. Concluding that the groundhog was a worthy substitute for a
hedgehog, Groundhog Day was born.
Now a major celebration: up
to 30,000 people visit Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney on Groundhog’s Day to
witness Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions.
For the most part, Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, but that still
doesn’t dampen the spirit and fun of Groundhog Day.
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