6 SURPRISING THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT GROUNDHOG DAY By Ken Sturtz
An ancient tradition, sort of The modern celebration traces its origins to the early Christian holiday Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. On that day – Feb. 2 – it became common to bless and distribute candles. Over time celebrators of the holiday adopted the belief that sunny skies meant a stormy, cold second half of winter. Roman legions brought the tradition to Germanic tribes, who expanded on the superstition: if the sun appeared on Feb. 2 a hedgehog would cast a shadow, predicting six more weeks of bad weather. German immigrants brought the folktale to America and replaced the hedgehog with the groundhog.
Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, 2014, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Photos courtesy of Ken Sturtz.
Phil comes to Central New York Punxsutawney Phil has traveled around the country and even made appearances on national talk shows. But in 1994 Phil actually made the 300-mile trip to Central New York. By a coincidence, three teachers who were either born or raised in Punxsutawney — a town of less than 6,000 — all came to work at the Mexico Middle School in Oswego County. The teachers had staged Groundhog Day celebrations for years and one of them convinced her cousin, a member of the Inner Circle, to bring Phil for a visit. Hundreds of children got to meet the fury forecaster. Groundhog Day goes Hollywood
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Nothing has done more to Groundhog Day has become synonraise the holiday’s profile than ymous with Punxsutawney, Pennsyl- the 1993 blockbuster “Groundhog vania., but it wasn’t until 1886 that a Day.” The film stars Billy Murray group of groundhog hunters dubbed as mean-hearted weatherman Phil themselves “The Punxsutawney Connors who reluctantly journeys to Groundhog Club.” The local newspa- Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog per issued a proclamation declaring Day and becomes trapped in a time Punxsutawney Phil to be the only loop. The film’s immense popularity weather prognosticating groundhog. fueled greater turnout at Gobbler’s Newspapers around the world began Knob. In the past it was typical for reporting Phil’s annual predictions. a few hundred people to show up. Each year on Groundhog Day memToday as many as 20,000-30,000 bers of the Inner Circle, who care for people descend on Punxsutawney on Phil, don tuxedos and top hats and Feb. 2. Even the phrase “Groundhog trek to Gobbler’s Knob to coax Phil Day” has entered the lexicon as a from his stump. common way of describing something that happens again and again.
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“Groundhog Day” wasn’t filmed in Punxsutawney Although set in Punxsutawney, the movie was actually shot in and around Woodstock, Illinois., about 50 miles northwest of Chicago. Director Harold Ramis was from Chicago and enjoyed shooting in Illinois, but the movie’s producers were also looking for a location that could pass for a quintessential, but nonspecific, American town. They chose Woodstock after scouting more than 60 places. One advantage to Woodstock was that it had a town square that allowed filmmakers to put the groundhog ceremony at Gobbler’s Knob in the center of town. The real Gobbler’s Knob is a couple miles outside of Punxsutawney. Expect disappointment if you’re hoping for an early spring Punxsutawney Phil may be the prognosticator of prognosticators, but his track record of predicting an early spring is enough to give you the winter blues. According to records dating to the 1880s, Phil has seen his shadow (predicting six more weeks of winter) more than 100 times. Phil has reported not seeing his shadow and predicted an early spring just 20 times, most recently in 2020. Of course, Phil isn’t the only weather-forecasting rodent. Several other groundhogs make annual predictions, including Staten Island Chuck, who resides at the Staten Island Zoo.