On Groundhog Day it is believed, if a groundhog leaves his burrow and sees his shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is overcast, so the groundhog does not see his shadow, then there will be an early spring.

The most famous of all groundhog prognosticators is Puxsutawaney Phil. Every year, on February 2, this groundhog is watched by thousands as he leaves his burrow on Gobbler's Knob in the town of Puxsutawaney, Pennsylvania. The town of Puxsutawaney, holds a large festival to honor the event. His predictions are carried by news services all over the country. It is said that Punxsutawaney Phil is correct an amazing 49% of the time. In Canada, the responsibility of predicting the future of winter falls on a ground hog from South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. The Town of South Bruce Peninsula hosts a week long festival in honor of the event.

The origin of Groundhog Day lies with ancient German and English beliefs. It was believed on Candlemas (February 2), if a burrowing animal comes out of its burrow and it is sunny then the winter will continue. Immigrants to Pennsylvania brought the custom with them, and combined it with a local Indian belief that some groundhogs had magical powers. On February 2, 1880, a group of Puxsutawaney residents decided to go into the woods a find a groundhog. In 1887, the first official trek was made to Gobbler's Knob to observe Groundhog Day. Since then, news coverage of the event has increased, and Groundhog Day has become a well known observance.

Note: This holiday is one of Calendar Mine's over 500 built-in observances.

See Also

Holiday Catalogue

American (USA) Observances