Every February 2nd in a small town in Pennsylvania, a single groundhog signals either six more weeks of winter or an early spring. 'Punxsutawney Phil' is a legend, having been featured in the Bill Murray classic "Groundhog Day" and has a special day on the calendar to salute his forecasting ability. But how and why is this even a thing? For that we have to go back in time, before America was even an idea.

Origins of Groundhog Day

According to the Providence Journal, the annual event is a hybrid of German and Christian festivals. The German influence appeared in the form of Imbolc, a festival in early February that celebrated the beginning of spring. According to Britannica.com it was a feast of purification for farmers.

Candlemas Service
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The Christian influence appears thanks to a Roman celebration of the goddess Bridgid who, according to Mabonhouse.co, was "the goddess of inspiration and creativity, healing, smith craft and poetry". As the Christians exerted their influence over the Roman empire, they renamed the day for St. Brigit. The day also corresponds with the Christian feast of Candlemas, which marked the end of the Christmas-Epiphany season, and the presence of Jesus in the Temple, according to Wikipedia.

The Almanac also mentions one of the important facets of the feast was the celebration of the victory of light over dark. There is a quote that is mentioned that says:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

From this quote you can figure out where the shadow comes into play. If the groundhog sees its shadow, that means there's sun, and Winter will be around a while longer. If it is cloudy, spring will arrive early.

As German immigrants came to America, they didn't have a large population of badgers in the New World, but they did have groundhogs, which seemed like a suitable replacement.

So, if you're hoping for an early spring, be on the lookout for Pierre C Shadeaux to enjoy a cloudy and shadow-free day on February 2nd.

5 Animals Better at Predicting Weather in SBC Than a Groundhog

Here in Shreveport/Bossier, most of us have never even seen a groundhog, so why would we ever trust them to predict our weather? Wouldn't these 5 animals be a much better choice to handle the job here in our neck of the woods?

Gallery Credit: Gary McCoy

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