Groundhog Day
The popular U.S. tradition of Groundhog Day takes place annually on February 2nd. Everyone knows the drill. After a long winter of hibernation, the groundhog emerges from his hole. If he comes out and sees his shadow, we're in for another six weeks of winter and he heads back underground. If it's a cloudy day and he doesn't see his shadow, that signals the start of spring and he remains above ground. It's quite a hard job for a little groundhog. The fate of the seasons resting in his hands. A huge responsibility for such a tiny fella'.
A Brief History
When the Germans settled in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they brought with them a tradition known as Candlemas Day. This day fell midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. If the day was fair and an animal saw its shadow, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. The Germans used a badger, not a groundhog, for the shadow. This tradition was the foundation for what has become our Groundhog Day.
The groundhog was first chosen as a replacement in Pennsylvania. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, found at
Groundhog.org, Pennsylvania first celebrated the holiday on February, 2 1886. The following year, people made the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob, the location of his emergence. Since that time, a culture has developed surrounding this holiday. If you plan on celebrating the day, make sure you've got some fun accessories for it. The most popular groundhogs are: Punxsutawney Phil, from Pennsylvania; Staten Island Chuck from New York City, New York; Wiarton Willie from Wiarton, Ontario; General Beauregard Leeexternal text from Snellville, Georgia.
Fun Stuff
