The First Groundhog Day

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The good news about this Groundhog Day is that dear Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. This means we should be in for an early spring. Can you imagine that the very first Groundhog day was held on February 2, 1887 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the U.S. The results are simple – the groundhog sees his shadow means six more weeks of winter or he doesn’t see his shadow and we have an early spring. This tradition has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day. On this day candles were blessed by clergy and given out to the people to be used in the wintertime. These candles represented how long and how cold the winter would be. The Germans chose an animal to predict the weather. In their case the animal was a hedgehog. When Germans immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Pennsylvania they made the switch from a hedgehog to a groundhog because there were plenty of groundhogs in Pennsylvania. You might not know it but groundhogs are also known as woodchucks. Remember that tongue twister – could a woodchuck, chuck wood if a woodchuck could chuck wood. Groundhogs weigh in between 13 to 15 pounds and they usually live from six to eight years. Their diet consists of vegetables and fruit. If they get frightened or are seeking a mate they begin to whistle. Groundhogs can climb trees and they can swim. Late in the fall they begin to hibernate at which time both their body temperatures drop and their heart rates slow down. The reason it is a good time to consult a groundhog about the spring at the beginning of February is that during this month the male groundhogs come out of their burrows to look for mates. However then they return underground and only come out to stay in March. Back in 1887 Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog was declared to be America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog. Of course since then there have been a whole string of famous Phils in Pennsylvania and it is always amusing to see them pull the poor fellow out. If you’re wondering then yes, there are other famous groundhogs that predict the weather. There is Birmingham Bill from Alabama, Staten Island Chuck in New York and Shubenacadie Sam in Canada. The tradition of Groundhog Day became really popular in 1993 when the movie “Groundhog Day” was released starring Bill Murray. Today starting with February 2 The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club holds a three-day celebration with entertainment and different activities. This year they have much to celebrate because Phil didn’t see his shadow so spring must be right around the corner.