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The observance of Groundhog Day in the United States first occurred in German communities in Pennsylvania, according to known records. The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is an entry on February 2, 1840, in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, according to the book on the subject by Don Yoder. This was a What is Groundhog Day? People flock to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 2 every year to be a part of the celebrations revolving around Punxsutawney Phil's winter forecast. Groundhog Day, in the United States and Canada, day (February 2) on which the emergence of the groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following six weeks. In the United States the most popular event occurs in Pennsylvania and centers on a groundhog designated Punxsutawney Phil. 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. Germans who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s brought the custom to America. 1886 - The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper proclaims this date as Pennsylvania's first official 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 Groundhog Day has been celebrated in the United States since at least February 2, 1886. Starting in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with its now-famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, the tradition spread throughout America. Crowds as large as 30,000 have turned out to Punxsutawney for multi-day Groundhog Day festivities, which the state calls a significant tourism boost for the town of fewer than 6,000 people. Groundhog Day is one of the most intriguing traditions in North America. Every February 2, Americans and Canadians follow a superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and a “second winter” will happen during six more weeks. 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 How did Groundhog Day start? According to the Library of Congress , Groundhog Day traces its history back to an 1840 diary entry by an unnamed Welsh-American storekeeper in Pennsylvania. Get ready for Groundhog Day with these surprising details about America's oldest weather-predicting groundhog. About GROUNDHOG-DAY.com. GROUNDHOG-DAY.com is the leading data source for North America’s prognosticating groundhogs and their yearly predictions. GROUNDHOG-DAY.com provides past predictions for individual groundhogs, as well as aggregate yearly data comparing the number of ‘early spring’s to ‘longer winter’s. GROUNDHOG-DAY.com is the leading data source for North America’s prophetic prognosticators: unleashing the ancient wisdom of groundhogs with the entrepreneurial dynamism of structured data. Every February 2nd – in deepest, darkest winter – humanity seeks guidance from mystic marmots, whose obscure rituals and ancient tongue foretell of French Creek Freddie, North America's fourth-longest tenured groundhog weather prognosticator, will make that call on Feb. 2, 2025 during his 47th annual Groundhog Day appearance in the Groundhog handler AJ Derume holds Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow, predicting late spring during the 136th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Feb. 2, 2022, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day originated from an ancient European tradition called Candlemas Day, where clergy would bless candles and distribute them to ward off the darkness of winter. The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day 2024: Tradition says that North America will get six more weeks of winter if Phil sees his shadow and an early spring if he does not. Statistics say not so much: Dressed sharply in a top hat and bow tie, Orphie has made annual predictions since 1926, with a record of 73 predictions (79%) for six more weeks of winter and 19 (21%) for an early spring.
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