Here’s Everything to Know About Groundhog Day 2023


Image Credit:wsj.com

Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog in the U.S., will forecast on Thursday when winter will end.

The tradition dates back to the days of the ancient Romans, when people used hibernating animals, like hedgehogs, to predict when the weather would get warmer.

The town of Punxsutawney, Pa., made history in 1887 when it started its own annual tradition of using groundhogs to make a prediction. The town named the prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.

How does Groundhog Day work?

If the groundhog emerges from its burrow on Feb. 2 and sees its shadow, that means there will be six more weeks of cold weather, according to tradition. If the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, then warmer weather will soon usher in an early spring.

What is the history of Groundhog Day?

The ancient Romans celebrated the tradition on Feb. 5, but instead of looking for groundhogs to make a prediction, they used hedgehogs, according to groundhog experts. There weren’t any groundhogs in Europe.

The date changed to Feb. 2 after the fall of the Roman Empire and was rolled into a Christian tradition called Candlemas. That involved people lighting candles and putting them in their window or church to honor the Virgin Mary. Germans, however, continued using hibernating animals to predict the end of winter.

How did Groundhog Day start in the U.S.?

German immigrants imported the tradition in the 1700s when they settled in what is now Pennsylvania. Without hedgehogs, the German settlers turned to groundhogs to make the weather predictions.

In Punxsutawney, the townsfolk gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in 1887, a wooded area about two miles out of town, to mark the start of the town’s first official Groundhog Day celebration, according to the Punxsutawney event’s organizers.

Who are the other famous groundhogs?

While Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous of the weather-predicting groundhogs, there are others.

Woodstock Willie makes predictions in Woodstock, Ill. Staten Island Chuck, from New York City’s Staten Island Zoo, will also be making a prediction on Thursday.

Milltown Mel, a weather-predicting groundhog in New Jersey, will miss his second consecutive Groundhog Day. The last Milltown Mel died in 2022 and missed the festivities last year. The organizers of the event said on Facebook they were unable to have a groundhog available for this year as well.

Note: This article is taken from wsj.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/groundhog-day-2023-when-is-it-and-how-the-tradition-began-11675283296

 

 

 

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