Every year on Feb. 2, thousands of people congregate in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to watch a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil predict the end of winter. The tradition goes that if Punxsutawney Phil glimpses his shadow on Groundhog Day, winter will persist for another six weeks. If not, spring will arrive early.
While you may have heard about Punxsutawney Phil and his weather predictions, you may not know the whole story. Read on to learn about the origins of Groundhog Day and other little-known facts.
Groundhog Day is rooted in Ancient European traditions
Groundhog Day originated from ancient European traditions marking the midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox. With the introduction of Christianity, the pagan traditions evolved into a Christian holiday known as Candlemas Day. On Candlemas Day, clergy would bless candles and distribute them for winter. In some regions, a sunny Candlemas Day meant winter would continue for another 40 days.
In the German tradition, Candlemas Day was considered sunny only if small animals like badgers could see their own shadows. When German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, they carried on the tradition but with groundhogs instead of badgers, since they were common in the area.
The first Groundhog Day was in 1887
The first official Groundhog Day happened in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 2, 1887. It was spearheaded by a newspaper editor, Clymer Freas, who was part of a groundhog hunting club. Freas suggested that a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil be the official “weather forecasting groundhog.”
Punxsutawney Phil is immortal
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the same Punxsutawney Phil has been dutifully making predictions since the first Groundhog Day. While the average groundhog lives for just three years, Phil never dies. He owes his longevity to a mysterious “elixir of life” he receives in the summer.
Phil’s predictions are 100% accurate (unless you ask a meteorologist)
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club boasts that Phil has correctly predicted the weather every year since the first Groundhog Day. However, if you ask Stormfax Almanac, Phil’s predictions have been accurate only 39% of the time.
Canada has its own weather-predicting groundhogs
Punxsutawney Phil is by far the most famous groundhog, but Canada has a few celebrity groundhogs too, such as Wiarton Willie from Ontario, the late Fred la Marmotte from Quebec and Shubenacadie Sam from Nova Scotia and many many more.
Groundhog Day was popularized by a 1993 movie
“Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray, brought awareness to the Punxsutawney tradition. In the movie, Murray plays a weather forecaster who lives Groundhog Day over and over.
Climate change is threatening Phil’s job
Rising global temperatures mean longer summers, shorter winters and more precipitation. More precipitation means more cloud cover, and less chance of Phil seeing his shadow.
If you’re one of many looking forward to spring, tune in to Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2. He’s always right, 39% of the time!
