Okay so before I begin, I have a small confession. While doing research into Groundhog’s Day, I learned that the holiday is actually singular and not plural. The official name is Groundhog Day not Groundhog’s Day, like I have been calling it. I came across this revaluation before writing any of my articles, which turns out to be a total of 4 on the subject – there’s just too much to be said about the holiday so honestly the material pretty much just writes itself. And even though I am now educated on this matter, I will now and forever continue to call the holiday Groundhog’s Day, even though it’s not technically correct. Personally, I just think it has a better ring and truly, the grammar police nor the inner circle can stop me.
Moving on, let’s get into the nitty gritty of Groundhog’s Day!
The day of February 2nd has been celebrated for centuries, as it is the exact midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Somewhere between the 4th and the 5th century, the day was dedicated to a Christian religious holiday, called Candlemas Day. Since this is a Christian holiday, it also means that it has Pagan origins, but for this article I will be focusing more on the Christian celebration. And to my surprise, Candlemas Day is still celebrated today in various communities throughout the world. I grew up Roman Catholic and truthfully, never heard of the holiday.
I did a little deep dive to find out that on Candlemas, people would take their candles to the church to have them blessed to help get through the long winter season.. As time went on, the holiday evolved into the symbol for predicting the weather outcome the remainder of winter and serve as a beacon of hope. Folksongs and tales began to emerge, the most popular being;
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
When Christianity made it’s way to Germany, the German’s took Candlemas a step farther and introduced native animals into the mix. It was already common in their culture to observe animals for signs of seasonal change, so it made for an easy transition into the holiday.
Following the same outline as Candlemas, communities would come together and gather around a captured animal – typically one that hibernates, like a hedgehog or badger. If that animal saw her shadow, then it was predicted that there would be 6 more weeks of bad weather, if there was no shadow in sight, spring was predicted to arrive early.
As German settlers came to the United States, so did their traditions. With no hedgehogs or badgers in sight, a similar hibernating animal was chosen that was abundant in America, the groundhog.
The first official recording of Groundhog’s Day was in 1886. The event was published in local newspapers and word got out about the little celebration that took place in Punxsutawney, PA. The following year the celebration expanded and was moved to the local park in the town called Gobbler’s Knob. Gobbler’s Knob, besides being a funny name, is a real location. It is located about two miles southeast of downtown Punxsutawney and is still where the celebration still takes place today.
Today’s Traditions
Today, thousands of people each year gather to celebrate Groundhog’s Day in Punxatawney. The festivities start in the wee early morning. And I’m talking early, like the gates open at 3 AM type of early.
The main event, which is often the part you see on TV, is when Phil emerges from his burrow to make his annual prediction. Simply put, if he sees his shadow, then it’s predicted that we will have 6 more weeks of bad weather . And if he does not see his shadow, yay we are predicted to have an early spring! This usually happens between 7-7:30 AM. The whole event runs until about 10 AM and is filled with a full ceremony, live music, fireworks, activities and dancing.
This Pennsylvania tradition honors the state’s early settlers and brings much needed fun into the chilly winter season. Each year since the beginning, the town has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world. And it has become a beloved tradition for locals and visitors alike.
Can’t make it out to the ceremony? No worries the celebration is live-streamed from Gobbler’s Knob. And this is exactly how I was able to watch it from Antarctica last year and bring the celebration all the way to the bottom of the earth.
Event Organizers
From the very start of Groundhog’s day, the event has been run by the Punxatawney Groundhog club, otherwise known as the Inner Circle. This elite club is comprised of 15 members whose objective is to protect and perpetuate the legend of the great weather predicting ground hog. Which just sounds oh so mysterious. Don’t worry, I did a deep dive on the inner circle – you can find that here.
Summer Elixir picnic
The inner circle and Punxsutawney hold another important event each year – the summer picnic. This is where they give the “Elixer of Life” to Phil, which adds seven years to his life. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention, Phil has been with us since the beginning of Groundhog’s Day? He is the one, the only weather predicting Groundhog.
Though, I find it a bit odd that they don’t give the elixir to his wife and kids. And yes, Phil has a wife named Phylis and two kids named Sunny and Shadow. Bit sad, as you’re setting up a Tuck Everlasting situation. And that is so not cool for Phil, Phylis or anyone involved…
What to do for 363 other days of the year
Punxsutawney is open for visitors all year round! There is so much to do outside the official celebration with a lot less crowds.
Somethings to do are:
- You can visit Phil and his family at his temperature mini mansion/burrow in Barclay Square, middle of town, any time of year.
- While in town make sure to take the trek to Gobbler’s Knob, as they keep it set up throughout the year as well. Close to the stage, you will find the Gobbler’s Knob Visitor center which is open from 10 AM – 4PM Wednesday- Sunday.
- Visit all 32 themed Phil statues scattered through town. Here is a map of them all.
Interested in more? Check out my day trip to Punxsutawney.
Groundhog Goodness
Still can’t get enough of this Groundhog’s Day goodness? Want to plan your own visit or join in a festivity? Well you should definitely check out their impressive website!
Oh! And it even has an official count down to Groundhog’s Day, love that! On the website you can even see all his past predictions.
And last but certainly not least, you need to watch their hype-up Groundhog day video. It is beautiful.
Thanks for joining me in this Groundhog appreciation. Hope to see you at the next Groundhog’s Day celebration!
