What is Groundhog Day?

Written by Garry Crystal

Groundhog Day is a traditional American festival that has its roots embedded in folklore and legend. According to the legend of Groundhog Day, which takes place on 2 February, the groundhog's behavior is a way of forecasting the weather. If the groundhog pops out from its burrow, sees his shadow, and then disappears again, it will mean that winter is to continue for six more weeks. But if the groundhog does not see its shadow, then it will not be scared to come out of its burrow and winter will soon end.

It is believed that because the groundhog lives underground, he is not used to having a shadow. The groundhog will therefore be scared if it does see its own shadow and go back down below. Whether this method can actually be thought of as an accurate weather predicting system is debatable. But records show that the tradition of Groundhog Day dates back hundreds of years.

The original name given to this tradition by Christians was Candlemas Day. Records show that a Pennsylvanian storekeeper wrote down the tradition as told to him by German colleagues in 1841. The original tradition of Candlemas was thought to have arrived in the US by settlers from Germany and France. The date used for Groundhog Day is one the cross-quarter dates, dates between a solstice and an equinox, of the year.

More recently Groundhog Day has become widely associated with the hit 1993 comedy movie of the same name, starring Bill Murray as a weather reporter who suffers from having to relive the same Groundhog Day over and over. Although not actually filmed there, the film is set in Punxsutawney. This is where many people claim the origins of Groundhog Day lies. The Delaware Indians settled in Puxsutawney and believed that groundhogs were their respected ancestors. The Delaware Indians believed that their ancestors began life as animals. The name woodchuck originated from the Indian legend of Wojak the groundhog.

The film Groundhog Day has generated big business for the town of Punxsutawney. It attracted 35,000 tourists in 1997 looking for Punxsutawney Phil, as the town's groundhog or woodchuck is known. Punxsutawney Phil takes the trip up to Gobbler's knob every 2nd February. A re-created burrow on a false tree stump is used for the little fellow to make his weather predictions each year.

Source: wisegeek.com