Groundhog Day (February 2)

Groundhog Day is a traditional festival that some in the United States and Canada celebrate on February 2. 

In traditional weather lore, if a groundhog (a small rodent also known as a woodchuck) emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because of cloudy weather, winter will soon end. However, if the groundhog does see its shadow as a result of bright and clear weather, legend has it that the groundhog will be frightened and run back into its hole, thus resulting in the continuation of winter for six additional weeks.

History

Around the fifth century, the European Celts believed that animals had certain "supernatural" powers on special days that fell midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. German and French folklore both held that when groundhogs and bears came out of their winter dens too early, they became frightened by their shadows and retreated back inside for four to six more weeks of hibernation.

During early Christianity, the formerly pagan observance also came to be called Candlemas. According to contemporary lore, spring is just around the corner if the groundhog does not see his shadow. However, if the groundhog spies his pudgy image, you can count on at least six more weeks of winter!

Some assert that the tradition of Groundhog Day originated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on February 2, 1887. However, the earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania. That information was found in Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' February 4, 1841 diary entry: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks [sic] nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate." 

According to the Works of Carmi (published in 1974) the groundhog is psychologically shaken when it sees its shadow: "it's [sic] lack of shadow is a blanket of security and when a groundhog sees it-he is determined to hide for 6 weeks."

As you might imagine, Groundhog Day is an occasion of greater significance in the colder U.S. climes, such as the Northeastern states. There, the winters are long and hard and it is indeed cause for celebration if the groundhog stays out of his den, thereby signaling spring's imminence!

In Northern hemisphere western countries the official first day of spring is approximately six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. This was exactly six weeks after February 2. Assuming that the equinox marked the first day of spring in certain medieval cultures, as it does now in western countries, Groundhog Day occurred exactly six weeks before spring. Therefore, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, there would be six more weeks of winter. If he didn't, there would be 42 more days of winter. In other words, the Groundhog Day/Hedgehog Day tradition may have begun as a bit of folk humor.

If you are interested in seeing what Groundhog Day is like in the United States, we encourage you to watch the classic 1993 Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day." It's a terrific American comedy that is a lot of fun to watch!

This page is based on a page from Wikipedia entitled Groundhog Day. You can find that page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day. Wikipedia is an open source. That means anyone is free to use it and alter it as long as they credit the source. Wikipedia is not copyright, it is leftright. The Groundhog Day related text on this page is also leftright. You are free to use it as you like as long as you credit Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia for our authorship. This means that if you want to use this, you must include a statement crediting us and provide links to Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia.