Again, note the appearance of light over dark with the appearance of candles and dawn—and, of course, the spiritual light of a holier presence. So how does the groundhog fit into this ancient festival? In the s, German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought their Candlemas legends with them. Finding no badgers but lots of groundhogs also called woodchucks or whistlepigs , they adapted the New World species to fit the lore.
Today, that lore has grown into fun winter festivals, with Punxsutawney Phil and furry fellows in other states presiding. Since the traditional celebration anticipated the planting of crops, a central focus of the festivities was the forecasting of either an early spring or a lingering winter. Our Groundhog Day is a remote survivor of that belief. Want to see more accurate planting dates? Check out our Planting Calendar to find dates for starting seeds, transplanting, and harvesting in your area.
If Candlemas [February 2] be mild and gay, Go saddle your horses and buy them hay; But if Candlemas be stormy and black, It carries the winter away on its back. The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck or whistlepig, typically makes its home in the brambles and thickets that grow where forests meet fields. There, it digs burrows between 4 and 6 feet deep and up to 40 feet long—removing as much as pounds of dirt in the process.
Like its squirrel relatives, the groundhog eats leaves, grass, flowers, bark, and twigs and climbs trees to reach tender buds or fruit. This furry animal will also go after just about any crop, favoring beans, peas, and carrot tops. It may even take a bite out of every squash or pumpkin in a row, instead of consuming just one. See how to deter groundhogs in the garden.
But the mischief-maker is not all nuisance. Its burrows allow air and water to penetrate the soil and, when abandoned, they become homes for opossums and other small animals.
The groundhog itself serves as food for larger creatures, such as bobcats, foxes, and wolves. With hungry predators on the prowl, it takes courage for a groundhog to emerge from its hole every February to make its forecast. It must take its job very seriously! Photo by Brain E. The word you use is more of a reflection of where you live. The word comes from a Native American word.
A cloudy day means the opposite. In Punxsutawney, marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world. It's been the same Punxsutawney Phil for all years of the tradition, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. That's over 15 times longer than the upper end of a groundhog's typical lifespan.
That's an old groundhog. Groundhog Day: 5 bizarre things you don't know about this quirky tradition. But why? Great question! As we reported last year, the history of Groundhog Day has its roots in the Christian holiday of Candlemas. According to an old English rhyme:. Winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,.
Winter is gone and will not come again. In Germany, people would apparently put the theory to the test by checking if a hedgehog or a badger saw its shadow when waked. As the beginning of February finally rolls around — after what honestly seemed like the longest January in the history of time, might I add — Groundhog Day is upon us. And in anticipation of the annual event, set to take place on Feb. Or, what does it mean if the groundhog doesn't see its shadow? Or , what's the deal with this whole groundhog thing anyway?
What does it tell us about our future? First things first: The history of Groundhog Day. Don't skip over this part, I promise it's actually interesting.
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