By Faith Smith
Feb. 2. One holiday that brings thousands of people around the world together to celebrate the prediction of a furry forecaster. Yet many do not appreciate this holiday’s rich history and cultural meaning.
The true history of Groundhog Day comes from a town in Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to be specific. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets spooked and burrows back into its hole, predicting six more dreadful weeks of winter. On the other hand, no shadow means an early spring.
The roots of Groundhog Day dates back to an ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles were symbolic in their means to keep the people shielded from the long and cold winter, by providing warmth and light.
Some might ask, so why a groundhog? Germans expanded on the Christian concept by selecting an animal –the hedgehog– as a means of predicting the weather. Arriving in America in the year 1887, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued this tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were more abundant in the Keystone State.
What do we know about the groundhog? Well, groundhogs, also called the woodchucks, whose scientific name is Marmota monax, typically weigh only 12-15 pounds and live up to six to eight years. So, about the weight of a housecat and the lifespan of a guinea pig. Groundhogs are vegetarian, with a diet consisting primarily of grasses, green plants, fruit and the bark and buds of trees.
The groundhog also whistles when frightened or looking for a mate. They love to climb trees and swim!
Groundhogs go into hibernation in the late fall. In hibernation, their heartbeats slow from 80 to only five beats per minute and they can lose 30 percent of their body fat. In February, male groundhogs emerge from their burrows to look for a mate, not to predict the weather, before going underground again. They come out of hibernation for good in March.
In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, declared that Phil, their mascot, was America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog. Phil, the groundhog meteorologist, may be the most famous and well-known, but other towns across North America now have their own weather-predicting rodents. From Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in Canada.
Fun fact: “Punxsutawney Phil” is just a nickname! This critter was given a ridiculously long official name. His full moniker is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.”
One last thing. Punxsutawney Phil supposedly knows the secret to everlasting life. Loyal fans swear that there is only one Phil and that he has been making weather predictions since 1886. But since groundhogs only live up to eight years, we are not so sure about that one.
Now, with your newfound knowledge and hopeful appreciation of Groundhog Day, you can now prepare to either re-sharpen your shovel blades or to get ready for some early spring cleaning. All depending on one little groundhog’s prediction on Feb. 2 each year. Groundhog’s Day should be celbrated as the historical cultural holiday that it is.
Image via Flickr
