Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day has to be the most uncelebrated holiday by my family, yet every year, we want to know what the groundhog said this year about winter. Groundhogs hibernate through the winter and emerge from their burrows when spring arrives, so it makes sense they could be a harbinger of spring.

Groundhog Day gets its origin from Europe during Candlemas where clergymen would hand out candles during mass. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. “If Candlemas be fair and bright; Come, winter, have another flight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go, winter, and come not again.” Germany expanded on this concept by selecting an animal - the hedgehog - as a means of predicting the weather. When German and English settlers came over to the ‘New World’, there wasn’t an abundance of hedgehogs, so they made do with groundhogs. Surprisingly, there are a few official groundhog predictors. Dunkirk Dave of New York is the second-longest predicting groundhog. Not to be out-done, Staten Island’s, Charles “Chuck” C. Hogg boasts a 78% accurate weather prediction rate. But the most well-known and officially accepted rodent meteorologist is Phil, from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He comes out of his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob, the weather capital of the world, each February 2nd at 7am - where 10,000-20,000 people have gathered, some as early as 3am, to see his appearance. Phil’s team, a group of local dignitaries called the Inner Circle, wear top hats and tuxedos and carry out an elaborate Groundhog Day celebration sure to bring joy to the attendees whether the prediction is for an early spring, or six more weeks of winter.

Diana Juarez has 10 years of hospitality management experience, and it shows in her work for SunWest.