Groundhog Day, celebrated on February 2nd, is a seemingly non-sensical weird tradition.
It does have ancient origins that have morphed over time.
Basically, if the groundhog sees its shadow on the morning of February 2nd there will be 6 more weeks until spring.
Remember - for our ancestors the cold dark winter was feared.
February 2 is halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox. It is when there is the return of light to the world after the darkness of winter.
The Celtics referred to this day as Imbolc. A Celtic legend states that if the Goddess of Winter, Cailleach, wants to linger longer in the world before retreating for the year, she will make the day bright and sunny, so she can gather more wood.
Christianity reshaped the tradition to be Candlemas. It is a commemoration of the presentation of the baby Jesus at the holy temple in Jerusalem.
In certain parts of Europe, Candlemas Day, clergy would bless candles needed for winter, and distribute them to the people to face the “Second Winter.”
An old English saying:
"If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again."
In Germany there are reports of the tradition of observing animal’s behavior to predict when spring was coming on this date. In early days they looked at bears, but as Germany became more populated there were fewer bears, and badgers or hedgehogs were watched instead.
In the 1700s many Germans settled in Pennsylvania. They brought many of their traditions with them. In this part of the world there is a similar animal - groundhogs.
Some facts about groundhogs:
- also called woodchuck; scientific name Marmota monax. Nick names: whistle pigs, land beavers
- weigh 12 to 15 pounds
- live 6 to 8 years, 10 years in captivity
- is a herbivore, with a few insects consumed too
- whistles when frightened or looking for a mate
- can climb trees and swim
- hibernate in burrows in the late fall; body temperatures drops significantly, heartbeats go from 80 to five beats/minute, looses 30 percent of body fat.
- in February, male groundhogs emerge looking for a mate. They come out of hibernation for good in March.
The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The local newspaper editor gathered friends who were part of Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to trek to Gobbler’s Knob, where the inaugural groundhog became the bearer of bad news when he saw his shadow. In the early days they hunted and ate groundhog. (It is reported to taste between a cross of pork and chicken.)
Now the yearly festivities in Punxsutawney are presided over by the “Inner Circle” - local dignitaries wearing top hats and speaking “Groundhogese.”
According to legend it is the same groundhog, magically living to well over 100, thanks to a magical punch.
The groundhog was not named Phil until 1961, possibly as reference to Prince Philip
There are other weather predicting celebrity status groundhogs across America and Canada.
The groundhog prognosticator in Nova Scotia, Sam, being in an earlier time zone, is the first one to make the annual prediction,
In Ontario, Wiarton Willie is an albino groundhog. It made its first appearance in 1956 and is now part of a very well attended three-day winter festival. Wiarton Willie's predictive powers are attributed to Wiarton being on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Locals say his predictions are accurate 90% of the time, whereas scientists estimate Willie's accuracy at 25%.
{Photo credit - www.netglimpse.com}
The accuracy of the predictions has not been good. It is reported to be less than chance. But the idea of "spring arriving early" is a highly subjective notion which could arguably refer to almost anything.
Regardless, Groundhog Day is not likely to disappear. The 1993 award winning movie Groundhog Day about a television weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, who becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive February 2 repeatedly.
This movie is credited to having the term "Groundhog Day" to mean a monotonous, unpleasant, and repetitive situation. Pandemic parallels?
Watching this movie may be a good thing to do this year.
This year there will be no crowds in Wiarton, Punxsutawney, or other places. But we can still tune in to a live streaming.
Groundhog Day is a convenient and whimsical milestone to mark the end of the darkest three months of the year.
It can be regarded as reminder of a time when we were far more connected to the earth and the change of the seasons.
Although this year we could use a positive sign, of an early spring, we also need to hear that we need to stay home. We are not yet ready to come out of the pandemic induced hibernation.
