HISTORY OF GROUNDHOG DAY  picture courtesy of www.wpclipart.com Groundhog Day, February 2, is often considered a special day for meteorologists. It is the one day that is dedicated to weather prediction. While the day is mainly dedicated to winter weather forecasting, it reminds us of the popularity and importance of weather prognostication.Groundhog Day can trace its roots back for thousands of years. In ancient times, ancient people celebrated the mid-point of winter around February 2. The importance of the sun’s reemergence from a winter slumber signified that life would be renewed once again. People in ancient Rome used to celebrate this midpoint by looking for a shadow cast by an animal. If a shadow was cast, nature was indicating that a second winter (or six more weeks of winter) would occur. Ancient Roman soldiers brought this belief with them as the conquered northern Europe. The Teutonic people of Germany – a land that Rome conquered – adopted the belief and made it their own. They began to look for hedgehogs on the midpoint of winter to see if the creature saw its shadow. This blended with the custom of Candlemas Day, where Christians bless candles, 0n February 2. So, February 2 soon became a popular day to celebrate. In time, a rhyme became adopted for the day: “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May.” When German people immigrated to America, they brought the custom of searching for shadows during mid-winter with them. In particular, the colonists in Pennsylvania used this tradition. Because hedgehogs were in short supply, the Pennsylvania colonists adopted the groundhog as the creature of choice. The groundhogs were plentiful in Pennsylvania, resembled the hedgehogs of Europe, and thus were believed to be the most accurate predictors of weather on this day. In 1886, the current custom of watching the official American groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, began in earnest. In the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper that year, Phil’s first report was recorded (incidentally, he did not see his shadow). Prior to this, most observation were privately conducted in the woods surrounding Punxsutawney. Since that time, Punxsutawney Phil has been a national icon that as many as 30,000 people visit each year. He has appeared in his own movie, on the Oprah Winfrey Show, on the JumboTron in Times Square. Each time he appears, onlookers ask the same question… “Will Phil see his shadow (which will make him go into his den and continue winter for six more weeks)? Or, will Phil stay outside and hint at an early spring?” Tune in on February 2nd to find out!!! |