Origin of Groundhog Day

Every year on February 2nd millions of Americans tune in to watch Punxsutawney Phil come out of his home to see if he sees his shadow or not. Legend has it, that if the groundhog sees its shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter! If Phil, the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow then spring will come six weeks early! But have you ever thought how did this tradition start?

Groundhog Day Roots

Groundhog Day roots come from the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas. The clergy would bless and distribute candles for the winter, this would represent how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this idea by incorporating a hedgehog to predict the weather. When German settlers moved to Pennsylvania, they continued to tradition but decided to use a groundhog instead.

First Celebration

Groundhog Day was celebrated for the first time on February 2, 1887, at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A newspaper editor, Clymer H. Freas, was a member of a groundhog hunting group from Punxsutawney. The club was called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Freas was inspired by the local tradition of hunting and barbecuing groundhogs that were dubbed by the club. Freas caught a groundhog and named it Phil. He used his editorial fame to proclaim that Punxsutawney Phil was the only groundhog that could forecast weather.

Punxsutawney Phil’s fame soon spread across the nation with newspapers reporting on the groundhog’s predictions. Other parts of the towns have started their own traditions with weather-predicting animals including Birmingham Bill, Staten Island Chuck, and Shubenacadie Sam in Canada.

Present Day

Today over 20,000 people attend Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see if Phil sees his shadow or not. Punxsutawney Phil is set to make his annual appearance this Friday. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration with fun activities and entertainment.

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow?