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Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2nd and dictates that if a groundhog emerges from hibernation to see its shadow, and retreats, six more weeks of winter are ahead. This tradition may have European roots and coincides with the Christian holiday of Candlemas, which was about the purification of the Virgin Mary, but also used to indicate Groundhog Day (Pennsylvania German: Grund'sau dåk, was an expansion of a simpler tradition that if the weather was sunny and clear on Candlemas Day, Learn how Candlemas, a Christian feast day, and a German weather lore involving a hedgehog or a badger, gave rise to the North American tradition of Groundhog Day. Discover the history and the current celebration of Punxsutawney Phil and other groundhogs across the US and Canada. The saying “Half your wood and half your hay, You should have on Candlemas Day” became a common adage, and was one that was clumsily paraphrased by Henry David Thoreau in his journal entry on February 1, 1857, when Thoreau noted: A laborer on the railroad tells me it is Candlemas Day (February 2d) to-morrow and the winter half out. ‘half Groundhog day originally came from an old tradition called Candlemas Day that started in the United States in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. See how the groundhog became a symbol for predicting seasonal changes in America, rooted in German folklore with a badger — which in turn lead to Groundhog Day. The very concept of Groundhog Day is a fusion of ancient legends, including the Delaware Nation’s great-groundhog Wojak and Christian traditions of Candlemas that trace back to the fourth century. Celebrating Punxsutawney Phil emerging from the ground is also about Americans seeing or not seeing the shadow of the oldest known indigenous tribe Ever notice that Groundhog day and Candlemas fall on the same day? It’s no coincidence: the weather folklore day has a Catholic origin. Every year on February 2nd, the world awaits the legendary Punxsutawney Phil. If the groundhog sees his shadow, it is taken to mean six more weeks of winter; if he does not, spring will come early. The History of Groundhog Day. The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day has become most commonly associated with the current celebration, but it’s roots are older than that. The celebration started in Christianity as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again. In Germany, ground-dwelling animals such as badgers were the traditional harbingers of winter or spring on Candlemas. German immigrants imported the idea to Pennsylvania, adopted the local groundhog as the weatherman, and the rest is history. But what is Candlemas? This is how the shadow came to be associated with the length of winter. A sunny day means seeing more shadows. Smit / shutterstock The Scottish, the English, and the Germans all have similar rhymes about the weather on Candlemas, but it is the Germans we have to thank for Groundhog’s Day. Most of us know the tradition: on February 2, our old friend the groundhog will emerge from hibernation, come out of his den, and predict whether winter will deliver more cold weather this year. If the groundhog sees his shadow, the story goes, cold weather will persist another few weeks. If not, warm weather is around the corner. If you like the folklore of holidays, you may be interested to So if the bright sun “overshadows” the brightness of Candlemas Day, there will be more winter. However, if the light of Candlemas Day radiates through the gloom and darkness of the day, the end of winter is near. In America, Protestants decided we should replace Catholic Candlemas Day with Groundhog Day. It turns out that the modern Groundhog Day tradition is a tale of adaptation, with its origin in a centuries-old Christian holiday. Candlemas, the Groundhog Day forerunner. Groundhog Day is rooted in the historical Christian tradition of Candlemas, about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Conventionally, this was Aside from the Candlemas origins of Groundhog Day, some other days are considered predictors of the weather to come. In the United Kingdom , July 15 is known as Saint Swithun's day. At one time it was believed if it rained on that day, it would rain for the next 40 days and nights. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won’t come again.” Fans of the film Groundhog Day might recognize a similar tradition. In North American folklore, if Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, emerges from his burrow on February 2nd and sees his shadow, he retreats, signalling six more weeks of winter. On Candlemas Day, Throw candles away. Candlemas was also a day to eat beans, probably a modification of the pagan custom. The Romans believed beans were sacred to the dead and invoked their presence. The Puritans, of course, disdained Candlemas Day, which they correctly viewed as a pagan tradition. Weather Forecasts Candlemas and Groundhog Day . This emphasis on light, as well as the timing of the feast, falling as it does in the last weeks of winter, led to another, secular holiday celebrated in the United States on the same date: Groundhog Day. The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The annual ritual has roots in pre-Christian traditions and was brought to the U.S. by
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