Discovering the History of Groundhog Day

Discovering the History of Groundhog Day By Stephanie Blozy, WeatherBug Chief Chirp

Although most of us are entering the heart of winter, the start of spring could be just around the corner…that is, according to the legend of Groundhog Day. While there is no meteorological truth to Groundhog Day, there is fun in the legend of it all. Each year on February 2, we wait in great anticipation for Phil the Groundhog’s latest proclamation. And this year, I’ll witness it live and share all the details with you.

Bill Murray made Punxsutawney Phil a household name in 1993, when he starred in the movie Groundhog Day, but the people of Punxsutawney have been celebrating this day since 1886. The tradition of Groundhog Day began as the Germans who settled Pennsylvania celebrated Candlemas Day.

Candlemas commemorates the presentation of the Christ-child in the temple. Early Christians commemorated this holy day by blessing and lighting candles and interpreted the weather conditions on that day as a sign of some sort. As the Romans conquered Europe and spread Christianity, the German people adopted Candlemas and believed that if the sun shone that morning such that a hedgehog could see its shadow, they would experience a “Second Winter” lasting about six weeks.

As the Germans settled in Pennsylvania, they were amazed by the number of groundhogs that inhabited the area. Because the groundhog closely resembled the hedgehog, they decided that they made for a suitable replacement as the prognosticator on Candlemas. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886, though it wasn’t until 1887 that the local newspaper, The Punxsutawney Spirit, began its tradition of recording Phil’s outcome each year.

The tally so far? 94 years of seeing his shadow, 14 years of not seeing his shadow and nine years when no record was taken during the 1890’s. And according to the official Groundhog Day web site (http://www.Groundhog.org), Phil’s accuracy is “100%...of course!”

Be sure to tune into your WeatherBug beginning Monday night, Jan. 31 as WeatherBug Chief Meteorologist Mark Hoekzema and I join in the excitement and festivities of Groundhog Day 2005, in Punxsutawney, PA. We promise to bring you more groundhog history and fun facts, and we’ll even try to learn a bit of “groundhog-ese” so we can speak directly to Phil himself!

Wife's birthday is on Groundhog's Day . Went to the 02/02/02 celebration cause it only happens once every hundred years . Got to the Knob about 3 am. and there were about 10,000 people already there . Swelled to about 38,000 at daybreak . Like a rock concert in the middle of Winter fireworks and all. 90% college students and we still had a blast .. A must do for anyone within driving distance at least once in your lifetime.
PS Blackberry Brandy saved the day !! .

Even though the celebration isn't quite the same after the age of fifty, I appreciate the birthday wishes, Steve. :)

Haven’t been here much lately, so apologies for not being in touch or responding to pings of late. Between dealing wit the annual audit at work, putting the finishing touches on our upcoming recital, maintaining a daily bike regimen, and beginning construction on our new home (we are finally building on woodland that we purchased many years ago), sleep is about the only ‘luxury’ allowed just now. :)

Having never designed/built a home from scratch, we are learning the hard way that a township can dictate, via zoning ordinance, one’s every move, right down (practically) to the color you choose for your roof, and the length of the toilet tissue roll in your bathroom (slight exaggerations, but not by much). We’ve managed to successfully challenge some of their dictates, but not without spending significant time, energy and research in doing so.

I do manage to check in here several times a week, just to find out what’s happening in the world, and will probably be back into the fray in a month or so, so please keep my seat here warm in the interim, okay? :)

Again, thanks for the birthday wishes. (It appears that Punxatawny Phil did us proud out in the western part of the state this morning, predicting six more weeks of winter. Let’s assume that means much more snow, too … we haven’t received our fair share so far this winter. :)

~ joanie ...

(God bless the courageous voters of Iraq ... and the American military for making it possible for that courage to be demonstrated so vividly.)

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