Well, here it is Groundhog Day again (yep, that’s one of the holidays I celebrate.) Most years, I write something here about the celebration — the problem is that every year it gets harder to come up with something new. Groundhog Day is really a pretty boring holiday — same thing happens over and over. Sort of like the movie, I guess. But anyhow….
Every February 2nd, at a number of places across the United States (the most famous being Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the home of Punxsutawney Phil) people get together to wait for a groundhog’s predictions of our upcoming weather — of course there’s only two choices: six more weeks of winter or an “early” spring. So how come we celebrate this routine?
The first U.S. celebration of Groundhog Day was in 1887 (in Punxsutawney, Pa.) but Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day. You faithful readers will remember that Candlemas Day is also on my list of holidays and was explained in this blog a few years back.
On Candlemas Day, the clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. The Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal, the hedgehog, as a means of predicting weather. When the Germans came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, but because of the lack of hedgehogs, they switched to groundhogs — they had plenty of those in Pennsylvania. Even though Groundhog Day has been celebrated since 1887, the movie “Groundhog Day” seems to have increased the day’s popularity.
As I mentioned earlier, February 2nd is also Candlemas Day. While considered a religious holiday, it has always had some ties to the weather — an old Scottish song contains the words, “If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”
But it appears that even sacred days like Groundhog Day can’t be left alone with their traditions. Punxsutawney Phil will now text you his weather prediction. If you’re really into texting, just text “Groundhog” to 247365 on February 2nd. And of course some states don’t want to follow Pennsylvania’s lead in using the groundhog for their weather predictor. Texas uses an armadillo and celebrates Armadillo Day. Who knows, armadillos may be better weather prognosticators than groundhogs.
The dean of all the groundhogs, Punxsutawney Phil has been at it for over 125 years and has achieved a 39 percent accuracy over that time. If you’re wondering about how long groundhogs live, the answer is typically six to eight years. So what’s Phil’s secret? It seems that every summer, Phil drinks a unique “elixir of life” concoction that keeps him alive for seven more years. Now I’m thinking if we could get that recipe, we’d really be on to something…..
Update: Big surprise — Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and predicted six more weeks of winter. We’re not that far from Phil’s place and looking out the window, it’s hard to believe he saw his shadow. I’m thinking it has to do with that “elixir of life” juice he drinks — maybe it affects his judgement. I think we should hide that stuff. Maybe we need a new Phil….
— 30—