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Groundhog Day Ideas
Date: February 2
The celebration of Groundhog Day in
modern times, likely grew out of winter boredom for everyone who was
tired of the snow. It is celebrated largely in the U.S. and Canada, on
February 1. The gist of the event, is that if a groundhog comes out of
its burrow on that day and sees its shadow, there will be six more
weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, Spring is almost here.
Of course, there will be six more weeks
of winter anyway, since Feb.2 is what is known as a cross-quarter day,
or the mid-way point between the winter solstice and Spring equinox.
It's just that the little rodent offers hopes of warmth sooner than
later if it's a cloudy day.
But of course, you have to find the groundhog and sit around waiting
for him to appear. So popular has the festival become, that a number
of furry forecasters have become public figures, housed in specially
heated underground burrows, with their every need provided for, just
so they will perform (hopefully) on Feb.2. The most famous of these
are the Pennsylvania participant, Punxsutawney Phil, and Canada's
Wireton Willie.
Phil's fans claim to have been the originators of the event, but its
existence in America is noted long ago in a diary written in
Pennsylvania, although not Punxsutawney. The date was Feb.4 1841, when
James Morris wrote that the last Tuesday, Feb.2, had been Candlemas,
the day that the Germans said the groundhog could foretell the end of
winter when it emerged from its winter home.
The original story is almost surely European, since early Celts,
believed that animals had supernatural powers on specific days, and
there is folklore in both Germany and France that relates to bears and
groundhogs, and the first shadows after winter.
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