Feb. 2 sometimes comes and goes with few of us even knowing it’s a holiday, much less acknowledging the day. Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — is, in fact, a noteworthy, interesting holiday. As far as the holiday goes, it ranks somewhere in between Opposite Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
This article is our best attempt to answer every question you have ever had about it. This year, you might even celebrate it.
What is Groundhog Day?
The holiday takes place on Feb. 2 and is practiced in some parts of the U.S. and Canada.
Its premise surrounds a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. If a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, it will go back in and winter will continue for six more weeks. If it does not see its shadow, spring is said to arrive early.
However, the holiday is much more deeply rooted in European cultures and traditions. Groundhog Day has evolved and has come through a multitude of different cultures, and combines ideas from different pagan celebrations.
According to CNN, the evolution of the holiday began in the “pre-Christian era of Western Europe, when the Celtic world was the predominant cultural force in the region.” Instead of solstices, the Celtic year uses four dates that were the “turning points” of the year. One of them was February 1.
The Christian “turning points” became cemented into European culture, with the November date being named “All Saints Day,” the May date being called “May day” and the February date “Candlemas.”
Candelmas became a day when Christains would go to Church with their candles, which would be blessed, as a sign of light and warmth for the winter. The animal element of the holiday comes from the Germans, who relied on a badger to read the weather.
Where does the groundhog appear?
The best known event occurs in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, every year with the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, who is the groundhog most people track on Groundhog Day.
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil never dies, so we have no idea how they chose him back in 1886. Across the country, there are six other groundhogs, each named after their homes: Milltown Mel, Essex Ed, Chattanooga Chuck, French Creek Freddie, Staten Island Chuck and Ms. G, but the groundhog Milltown Mel passed away in 2022.
Sometimes groundhogs pass away and are found dead on Groundhog Day in their burrows.
How often are groundhogs correct?
Phil — the first and most famous groundhog — is correct only a mere 36% of the time, according to followers of this sort of thing. Though to be fair, if we had a chance of sleeping for the next six weeks or getting up now, we would continue sleeping.
Even with Phil’s failing grades in weather prediction, the tradition continues due to its cultural significance and the hype surrounding the event. Many people travel from across the country to get a glimpse of Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2.
Why is Groundhog Day so famous?
The 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray, follows the life of a weatherman who goes to Punxsutawney to watch the famous Groundhog Day reveal. In a weird time loop, the reporter ends up living Feb. 2 again and again and tries everything to get out of the loop.
Although the movie never increased much attention to the holiday, as it already had a large following, it added to the meaning of Groundhog Day.
The movie has become so associated with Groundhog Day that the Cambridge dictionary defines it as “a situation in which events that have happened before happen again, in what seems to be exactly the same way.”
This year, we hope Phil will come out of his burrow. It has been way too cold, and you best believe we do not want six more weeks of winter.
