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Today the largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where as many as 40,000 people gather to see the groundhog. Subscribe Now - Catholic Online YouTube 'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education' The Catholic Roots of Groundhog Day Every year, the world watches as Punxsutawney Phil proclaims a long winter or a newly-arrived spring. If it’s a sunny day and he sees his shadow, bad luck for us; if he doesn’t see his shadow, spring has come. 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. Every year, the world watches as Punxsutawney Phil proclaims a long winter or a newly-arrived spring. If it’s a sunny day and he sees his shadow, bad luck for us; if he doesn’t see his shadow, spring has come. Where did this entertaining annual event start? It actually has its origins in today’s feast of [] Actually, Groundhog Day and The Presentation of the Lord are related, we’ll get to that in a second. But today the church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a feast that quite honestly usually goes right by us unless it lands on a Sunday as it does this year. On Feb. 2, while many Americans “celebrate” Groundhog Day, most of them will most-likely being doing so without recognizing the (somewhat loose) connection that the holiday has with Christianity. What is this connection? Well I’m so glad you asked, otherwise the 45 minutes I spent Googling this up would have been wasted. Feb. 2 marks the final day of the 40-day Christmastide season and is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, or Candlemas Day. Forty days after Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph, following Mosaic law, brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the rites of purification and dedication. 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 Indeed, this is the premise of the film Groundhog Day, when a news crew led by a producer named Today called the “Presentation of the Lord” in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, the Groundhog Day, a Cross-Quarter Day, is midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Within this context, and with the understanding of the deeply-rooted human desire to seek the light, Sister Milasus moved the group toward a greater understanding of and appreciation for the significance of this date in the Catholic tradition. Feb. 2 is the Presentation of the Lord, a feast day that celebrates the day Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. That day is also Groundhog Day. Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, joined the “Practicing Catholic” program set to air at 9 p.m. Jan. 31 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, to share themes of faith and The surprisingly Catholic origins of Groundhog Day; Georgia martyrs recognized: Died upholding dignity of marriage; Nigerian Christmas Day massacre went unreported for a month; Martyrs, a mystic, and a hermit advance on road to sainthood; Artificial intelligence is great, but intelligence isn’t pinnacle of human ability Yes, that's right. Groundhog Day has its origins in Christian history!February 2 may be best known to us in the United States as Groundhog Day, but it is als Ah, Groundhog day, that loopiest of all American observances, dating back to 1886 or 1887. Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of Groundhog day with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell is on many peoples Top 10 favorite movies of all time. But who knew that the movie has deep philosophical and Christian themes – in fact, it is a very Catholic. The Theology of Groundhog Day The movie stars Bill Murray as Phil–a weatherman who finds himself re-living a single day of his life–Groundhog Day. If you haven’t seen the movie 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. “Forty days are milestones in spiritual life,” Meredith Gould, author of The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days, and Every Day (Doubleday 2004), told me in a conversation we had a few years ago. On this day the Holy Family fulfilled the law as they went to the temple for Mary’s purification, a traditional 5 p.m., Showing of “Groundhog Day.” Come and see the classic 1993 film free of charge! Punx’y Community Center, 220 N. Jefferson. St. punxsutawneycommunitycenter.com 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., First Baptist Church will open its Warming Station, Rest-to Groundhog Day visitors. 209 E. Union St., Punx’y. 7 p.m., Showing of “Groundhog Day.” Come By Mary Stroka/National Catholic Register. While many people know the date as Groundhog Day, the celebration of Feb. 2 in the Catholic Church began far earlier than 1887, the year people across the United States started looking for a woodchuck’s shadow.
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