On February 2nd, according to Fox Weather “Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow and retreated”. This means he predicts six more weeks of winter. Groundhog Day is a day many of us know and recognize, but we don’t know what it is.

According to GroundhogDay.org, Groundhog Day is most commonly associated with the Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day, but its roots go deeper than that. The celebration started on February 2nd when Christians would take candles to the church to have them blessed. They felt this would bring blessings to their home for the rest of the winter. As time went on, they began to sing songs. This became normal for most of Europe.

You may wonder how we got a Groundhog, from a candle celebration. When this tradition was introduced to Germany, an animal was also introduced. According to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “second winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. As immigrants from Germany traveled to the United States, they brought with them their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the US, the Groundhog became the legend he is today.

Nowadays, the yearly festivals in Punxsutawney are presided over by a band of local dignitaries known as the “Inner Circle”. You may see them on your TV, they wear top hats and conduct the official ceremony in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect… they supposedly talk to the Groundhog in “Groundhogese”. Even though Punxsutawney Phil is only right around 50 percent of the time, it is still a fun tradition celebrated every year on February 2nd.