First Groundhog Day
"The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It was the brainchild of local newspaper editor Clymer Freas, who sold a group of businessmen and groundhog hunters—known collectively as the
Punxsutawney Groundhog Club—on the idea."
Religious Beginnings
"The roots of Groundhog Day go all the way back to a different celebration, the Christian feast day of
Candlemas. On February 2, Christians traditionally bring candles to their local church to be blessed, which in turn bring light and warmth to the home for the remainder of winter."
"At some point, a Candlemas folk song appeared in England that added the element of weather forecast to the holiday:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again."
"Due to the song, the connection between Candlemas and the beginning of spring spread across all of Europe, but still without any connection to an animal."
Introduction of the Groundhog
"Germany created its own interpretation of Candlemas and incorporated small hibernating animals into the lore, such as hedgehogs. If a hedgehog emerged on February 2 and saw its own shadow, there would be six more weeks of cold weather. If it didn't see its own shadow, then spring would come early."
"As
early German immigrants arrived in America and settled in what is now
Pennsylvania, Candlemas is just one of the many customs they brought with them. Because hedgehogs are native to Europe and don't exist in the wild in North America, the German settlers searched for another burrowing animal in the area to consult and found the groundhog."
