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 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 Here is what you need to know about Groundhog Day: the day dedicated to a weather-predicting rodent. While the Groundhog Day tradition as we know it today started in 1887, Phil has been making 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. The beginning of February, which falls roughly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox , has long been a significant time of the year in many On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.According to tradition, if a groundhog In 1993, the film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray popularised the use of the term ‘groundhog day’ to mean something that is endlessly repeated.It also popularised the event itself: after the film came out, the crowd at Gobbler’s Knob grew from around 2,000 annual attendees to a staggering 40,000, which is nearly 8 times the population of Punxsutawney. In the 1880s, Clymer H. Freas, the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper, had the idea to make Groundhog Day a formal holiday, and naming Punxsutawney Phil as the official weather-predicting groundhog. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, established in 1887, carries on the tradition today. While other cities have similar celebrations, there 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. The ceremony itself — which returned to the stage in 2022 after a COVID-19 hiatus — features dancers, music, speeches and visitors from around the world. The Legacy of "Groundhog Day" (1993) The popularity of Groundhog Day skyrocketed in 1993 with the release of the movie "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray as a cynical weatherman trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over again in Punxsutawney. 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. When is Groundhog Day 2025? Groundhog Day will take place Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Thousands will show up in person, with the grounds to Gobblers Knob opening at 4 a.m., and millions will tune in to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. More: Where to watch Bill Murray's 1993 classic movie 'Groundhog Day' for Groundhog Day. What is Why do we celebrate Groundhog Day? The surprising history of Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil's rise to fame goes back thousands of years. April Fools’ Day: How Did It Start, and Why Is The club says Groundhog Day is the same today as when it first started — if the old-timey garb and scrolls are any sign — just with far more participants. He has a theory for why Groundhog Why are Groundhogs known for predicting the weather? Have you ever wondered why groundhogs are linked to predicting the weather? It all started with a tradition called Groundhog Day, which happens every February 2nd. In 1887, watching for Punxsutawney Phil became an official event. Since then, other cities have started looking to their own groundhogs, like New York’s Staten Island Chuck and Georgia’s PUNXSUTAWNEY, Penn. - Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is the Mecca for those around the country celebrating Groundhog Day. Every year, on Feb. 2, tens of thousands of people flock to this small town of less than 6,000 people some 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, to see whether the town's rodent Why is Groundhog Day celebrated on Feb. 2? The origins of Groundhog Day date back to German settlers in the 1800s and the celebration of the Christian festival of Candlemas, held on Feb. 2. How did Groundhog Day start? According to the club , the holiday began as a part of the Christian celebration of Candlemas Day in Europe, which was first observed in A.D. 350. Groundhog day originally came from an old tradition called Candlemas Day that started in the United States in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Call it a Groundhog Day déjà vu. For the fifth year in a row, a New Jersey borough has had to cancel its beloved Groundhog Day celebration for a simple, and pretty important, reason: They can
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.