Thanks to Pam P.
When is Groundhog Day?
Groundhog Day is on Feb. 2 every year. In 2022, Groundhog Day will be on a Wednesday.
What is Groundhog Day?
On Groundhog Day, the world looks to Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, to tell us if we’re in for a long and dreadful remainder of winter or if we can expect spring-like weather to come sooner. If Phil sees his shadow, we can expect more cold, dreary weather, and if he doesn’t, early spring is allegedly on the horizon.
How did Groundhog Day start?
It is believed that Groundhog Day has its origins in the Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, which would take place halfway between the first day of winter and the vernal equinox (the first day of spring). It was believed that if Candlemas took place on a day with clear, pleasant weather that it was actually indicative of a long winter to come, and clergy members would distribute candles to worshipers in different sizes depending on what the weather prediction was. Hedgehogs would be used to further predict the weather, and German settlers brought the tradition to Pennsylvania.
The first Groundhog Day of known record in the United States was in 1886, and the first celebration of it in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhogs were hired as our meteorologists stateside simply because they were much more common here than the other critters—and the typical hibernation cycle for male groundhogs ends in early February when they emerge from their burrows to find mates.