Cool story: How Did a Groundhog Become Pennsylvania's Favorite Weatherman?

[FakeNoose]

Pittsburgh Magazine link: https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/how-did-a-groundhog-become-pennsylvanias-favorite-weatherman/

How exactly did we decide that a Pennsylvania groundhog’s shadow has anything to do with the weather? As it turns out, this is a tradition centuries in the making.

The holiday began as the Christian celebration of Candlemas Day, which took place every year on Feb. 2. On this day, Christians would take candles to their church to be blessed. At this time, the holiday had nothing to do with groundhogs nor the weather — the goal was to bring blessings into the home for the rest of winter.

Over the years, people began to predict the seasons based on the weather of Candlemas Day, says the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. As the following English folk song shows, if the day was bright and sunny, the winter season would be longer and colder; if skies were cloudy, a temperate spring would come soon.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

This interpretation of Candlemas gained popularity across Europe, including Germany. The Germans were the first to introduce animals to the Candlemas tradition. However, a different kind of “hog” was the center of attention on German Candlemas Day: the hedgehog. If the hedgehog saw his shadow, a six-week “Second Winter” would come.

When Germans migrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania, they brought the celebration of Candlemas with them. However, there was a distinct lack of hedgehogs living in Pennsylvania. They needed a new animal for their age-old tradition — this is what put the groundhog in Groundhog Day.

- more at link -

Of course, it was the German immigrants who brought it over to Pennsylvania...
I'm just glad they didn't see beavers first.

[PittBlue]

1. Thanks...

That was interesting.