This Holidays

Writen by Gail Leino

Groundhog day, February 2nd, has a long history of folklore on which the practice of listening to the animals to protect the changes in weather has been based. For centuries, it has been said that animals contain a certain intuition that better prepares them to identify changes in weather and natural occurrences. As early as the fifth century, the Celts believed that animals contained supernatural powers that enabled them to predict future weather behavior. These supernatural powers were only active on the special day that marked the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. It was important to be able to predict whether or not the spring season was likely to come early in order to best predict the proper sowing time for the crops in the fields. After all, if the seeds were planted too early, and more winter weather followed, the crop production would be very poor.

In German folklore, it was said that if the badger came out of his winter den too early, he would be frightened by his shadow and retreat back inside for four to six additional weeks. In France and Britain, the bear was the animal believed to have the ability to gauge the end of winter. As German and British immigrants came over to America, it is likely that they replaced the badger and the bears with the groundhog because groundhogs were more plentiful in the new country.

Christians have historically referred to the holiday as Candlemas. Candlemas Day marks a festival that celebrates the presentation of Christ in the Temple. Before celebrating the Christian holiday of Candlemas, a pagan ceremony celebrating the longer days and the fertility of the fields was often held via candlelight. Instead of using a groundhog as in Groundhog Day, the Christians recited a British rhyme to predict the weather changes: If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight; But if it be dark with clouds and rain, Winter is gone, and will not come again.

Both techniques, the groundhog and the Candelmas rhyme ultimately result in the same result: if it is too sunny on February 2nd, there is another four to six weeks of winter to come. However, there is something about waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog in Pennsylvania to come out of his burrow that makes Groundhog Day a unique celebration of the upcoming spring.