Groundhog day is such a weird but lovable holiday. A groundhog comes out of his home to see his shadow or not, which predicts the weather. But what’s the history behind all this? And will Punxsutawney Phil, our favorite groundhog, see his shadow or not?
So, what’s the history behind Groundhog Day? Well, it all goes back to a similar holiday called Candlemas, which is a medieval Catholic holiday. During this holiday, early Christians would bring candles to church so they could be blessed. The way it relates to Groundhog day is because the Christians thought that if there were clear skies that day, then there would be more winter, but if it was cloudy, it would mean the end.
But how did our Groundhog Day celebrations come to be? Well it actually started in Germany, and it wasn’t with a groundhog but a badger! When German immigrants came to the US they brought their traditions with them, but with no badgers around, they used a groundhog. In the 1800’s, the editor of the Punxsutawney newspaper had the idea to make groundhog day a real holiday. In 1887 the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was established, and Punxsutawney Phil was named the official groundhog.
Since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil has made a prediction every year, and this year is no different. But, what are some of the Gateway students and staff thinking?
A anonymous student said, “I think it’s going to be early spring, and I say this because I truly hope for warm weather.”
A Gateway hall monitor weighed in, “I’m going to go with early spring.”
So it seems that Gateway is hoping for early spring! Only Punxsutawney Phil can make that decision.
And on February 2nd, everyone’s favorite weather predicting groundhog came out of his home to tell us, 6 more weeks of winter. Not the best outcome if you’re looking forward to warmer weather, like folks at Gateway Regional, but good for those who like cold days.
