Groundhog Day

 

February 2, 2023



Folklore tells us “If the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.” Here in the United States, Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day.  James L. Morris, in his Feb. 2, 1840, diary entry, commented on Groundhog Day. That comment is the earliest known mention of Groundhog Day in the United States.

But the roots of Groundhog Day go back much farther, perhaps to Roman times. There is a Latin couplet similar to the old English rhyme “If Candlemas is fair and clear, There’ll be two winters in the year.”  The couplet also has versions in French and English.

Candlemas, a Christian festival, is observed on Feb. 2. It is the commemoration of the presentation of Jesus, the light of the world, in the Temple at Jerusalem. But it also has ties to the prediction of the arrival of spring – the return of light and the hope of prosperity.

In old European traditions, there was an animal – a bear, badger or fox depending on the country, which if it saw its shadow would predict four more weeks of winter. Yes, four more weeks of winter. 

It is in the United States, especially among the Pennsylvania Dutch, the animal became a groundhog and the winter would be six weeks longer instead of four. Groundhogs are rodents, sometimes called “whistling pigs.”  The adults are 16 to 22 inches long and somewhere between five and 13 pounds.

The most well-known of the Groundhog celebrations is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Their event has been held since 1886, but it is the 1887 celebration that is considered the first “official” celebration.

The most well-known of the groundhog prognosticators is Punxsutawney Phil. Phil will be predicting an early spring or longer winter for the 137th time on Feb. 2, 2023.  Phil is claimed to be a supercentenarian and the same groundhog who began the tradition in 1887. Some 40,000 people will travel to Punxsutawney to participate in this year’s event.

Phil is joined as a prognosticator by Stonewall Jackson, Essex Ed, Quigley and Staten Island Chuck – to name a few. These groundhogs are the stars of Groundhog Day celebrations around the eastern United States. Though there are several celebrations with groundhogs that predict the weather, statisticians give them only about 50 percent accuracy.

 

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Superior Express
Nuckolls County Locomotive Gazette
Jewell County Record

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 02/28/2024 17:37