GROUNDHOG DAY - What Does It REALLY Mean and Where Did It come From??

February 2nd is Groundhog Day - the day when Punxsutawney Phil will determine if Spring is on it’s way or if we’ll have another six weeks of winter. This is one of those crazy traditions that got me to wondering how in the world we let a large rodent-looking animal determine our fate.

Well it seems the Germans brought this tradition with them from “the old country” where it was actually a Hedgehog who did the deed. Finding no Hedgehogs in the good old US of A, they turned to his cousin the Groundhog. Legend says that if “Phil” sees his shadow then we are in for the second winter but, if there’s no shadow, then Spring is just around the corner.

Personally this makes no sense to me. You see, in order for the groundhog to see his shadow, the sun must be out. So it would seem like the sun would predict the upcoming weather to be better moreso than a cloudy day. But again, this is old German folklore AND a Groundhog for a weatherman.

Regardless of what happens on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania at 7:20 am tomorrow morning, I for one have been enjoying our unusually warm winter and hope that it continues right into Spring. Whenever that may be!

Cyndi