History of Groundhog's Day

February 2nd

In 1723, the Delaware Indians settled in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to the original beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their forebears began life as animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men.

The groundhog, also called a woodchuck, was *considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

When German settlers arrived in the 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.

For the early Christians in Europe, it was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the homes. The day's weather continued to be important. If the sun came out February 2nd, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

In America, on February 2nd in 1841, the Germans created a new tradition: According to them, if the Groundhog comes out of his winter home and sees his shadow he returns back to sleep for another six weeks, but if the weather is cloudy and the groundhog doesn't see his shadow he doesn't return to his home because it means that spring will come early.

Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog's Day began on February 2nd, 1886.

The groundhog is a member of the squirrel family. Groundhogs live in the wild and eat green plants such as dandelion, clover, and grass.

Pennsylvania has an official grondhog that lives in Punxsutawney. His name is 'Phil'. Phil's seasonal forecasting accuracy is somewhat low. His winter prognostications have been correct only 39% of the time.