Groundhog Day

How Did the Groundhog Get a Day of His Own?

The lowly groundhog, or woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named after him. The groundhog's day is February 2. Granted, it's not a federal holiday; nobody gets off work. But still, to have his own day is quite an achievement.

How did it happen?

Well, it all stems from the ancient belief that hibernating creatures were able to predict the arrival of springtime by their emergence.

The German immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch brought the tradition to America in the 18th century. They had once regarded the badger as the winter-spring barometer. But the job was reassigned to the groundhog after importing their Candlemas/Incloc traditions to the U.S. Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus. (interesting note: had Mary given birth to a girl, she would have had to wait 60 days until purification in the Jewish tradition, which is still followed today both in Judaism and the Orthodox church. Women who have given birth are considered unclean until they are cleansed by a rabbi or a priest, and may then and only then enter a church or synangogue once more...hey guys, times change...)

Candlemas is one of the four "cross-quarters" of the year, occurring half way between the first day of winter and the first day of spring. Traditionally, it was believed that if Candlemas was sunny, the remaining six weeks of winter would be stormy and cold. But if it rained or snowed on Candlemas, the rest of the winter would be mild. If an animal "sees its shadow," it must be sunny, so more wintry weather is predicted:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

Traditionally, the groundhog is supposed to awaken on February 2, Groundhog Day, and pop up from his cosy burrow  to predict the weather for the rest of winter. If he sees his shadow, he will return to the burrow for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he remains outside and starts his year, because he knows that spring has arrived early. What a responsability!

In the U.S., the "official" groundhog is kept in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every February 2, amid a raucous celebration early in the morning, "Punxsutawney Phil" as the groundhog is called, is pulled from his den on Gobbler's Knob (yes, you read that right)  by his keepers who are dressed in tuxedos. Phil then whispers his weather prediction in his keeper's ear, who then announces it to the anxiously-awaiting crowd. Of course, Phil is 100% right, and has been forecasting the weather for the last 120 years. Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Mais, naturellement! Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle, apparently. Who would have thught such a thing? After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world. So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

And they say the Brits are mad!!!

Yesterday, Phil saw his shadow and dashed back to bed. Frankly, who can blame him?!