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Slowly a popular winter festival evolved, but one largely shorn of its Christian roots. Today Groundhog Day takes its place as a growing phenomenon in the United States complete with school observances, greeting cards, trinkets and paraphernalia for purchase, and even a federally-sanctioned "official" groundhog in Pennsylvania. Slowly a popular winter festival evolved, but one largely shorn of its Christian roots. Today Groundhog Day takes its place as a growing phenomenon in the United States complete with school observances, greeting cards, trinkets and paraphernalia for purchase, and even a federally-sanctioned “official” groundhog in Pennsylvania. 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. LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Is Groundhog Day a Christian holiday? The answer, sort of. There's definitely a Christian connection to the holiday. Groundhog Day is an American holiday celebrated every February 2. Across the country, but primarily in New England, a few groundhogs are awakened early from their hibernation. Read on to learn about the history and origins of Groundhog day, the day's Christian roots, and how it came to be the holiday it is today. Every year, without a miss, we will hear if the groundhog saw, or did not see, his shadow. “Groundhog Day” — the Movie. A 1993 movie expanded on this “repeatability” nature of Groundhog Day. The movie, titled Groundhog Day, focused on a weatherman who was given the same assignment every year. For the fourth year in a row, he was sent Yes, Groundhog Day really does have a Christian connection! Today, February 2, is not only Groundhog Day, but also the 40th day after Christmas, which is the day that Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple, in keeping with the teaching in Leviticus. We learn about this in Luke’s Gospel: 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 its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal–the hedgehog–as a means of predicting weather. If the groundhog sees his shadow, winter will continue for six more weeks. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, then spring will arrive early. Christian tradition of Candlemas. Although the Groundhog Day of today is relatively new, the concept is actually quite old and dates back to the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas. Candlemas Feb. 2 is also known as St. Brigid's Day, mixing figures from pagan traditions and Christian beliefs. In Europe, groundhogs weren't the animal of choice for the festival, according to the almanac. The holiday stems from a centuries-old Pagan and Christian tradition, In 1886, Groundhog Day was acknowledged for the first time in Punxsutawney by a local newspaper, Weathers Wags, according The earliest American reference to weather-prognosticating groundhogs in association with this holiday is a diary entry in February of 1841 which reads, “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six But this is why Groundhog Day is ultimately not a ‘Christian’ movie. Phil was trapped reliving Groundhog’s Day for eight years, eight months, and 16 days before he learned he was stuck with virtue. But he’ll spend the rest of eternity realizing that’s not enough to save him. “Groundhog Day” stars Bill Muray as an egotistical TV weather man who has been sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover Groundhog Day (February 2nd). He is rude to everyone he meets and has no human charity whatsoever. After the “first Groundhog Day” Bill Murray goes to sleep and awakens to find that it is the same Groundhog Day all over again 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 What are the origins of Groundhog Day? The Christian festival known as Candlemas – a festival of light – is also observed on Feb. 2, and is also a precursor to Groundhog Day. I’d suggest Groundhog Day can also be read as a fable of Christian sanctification. The key to unlocking that view comes in a scene set in a diner, where Phil supplies proof of his predicament and debates his possible divinity with Rita. “I’m a god. I’m not the God, I don’t think,” he says. Walking Rita around the diner, he relays Groundhog Day originates from the Christian festival of Candlemas, a European tradition held on February 2 that uses a badger or hedgehog to predict the weather based on its shadow.
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