An Ode to The Groundhog

Written by Natasha Geiger

Have you ever wondered how Groundhog Day came to be? Or why thousands of people gather in a small town in Pennsylvania to celebrate a groundhog named Phil, who predicts the weather?

Well, let’s go back to the beginning.

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, predicting weather is rooted in a Christian tradition called Candlemas Day. It first started when Christians would take candles to church and have them blessed, which they believed would bring them blessings during the winter. Then, that evolved into an English folk song that went like this:

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again.

It wasn’t until the folk song was introduced to the Germans that they created their own form of lore and brought in a hedgehog or another small animal to help predict the weather.

Now, you’re probably wondering … a hedgehog? According to German lore, if a hedgehog saw its shadow on Candlemas Day, or Feb. 2, there would be a ‘Second Winter.’ When the Germans migrated to Pennsylvania, they brought the tradition with them, but there was a lack of hedgehogs in the United States. Instead they started using a groundhog for their weather predictions.

Since then, the tradition has evolved into a full-fledged celebration.

The First Groundhog Day

The first mention of a groundhog predicting the weather was on Feb. 2, 1840 from a Welsh-American storekeeper in Pennsylvania who wrote, “Today the Germans say the groundhog comes out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he returns in and remains there 40 days.”

It wasn’t until Feb. 2, 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania that Groundhog Day officially became the celebration we all know today.

The Library of Congress states that the first Groundhog Day was loosely celebrated when a group from the Punxsutawney Elk’s Lodge went to Gobbler’s Knob, which is the home to Punxsutawney Phil, to enlist the help of a local groundhog to check the weather.

That visit quickly turned into an annual local ceremony at Gobbler’s Knob.

As the years went on, the tradition continued to transform, this time by the Pennsylvania Dutch community when they created Groundhog Lodges, which were organizations that helped maintain the Pennsylvania Dutch culture and language during meetings called ‘versammlinge.'

In his book “Serious Nonsense,” William Donner writes that he attended his first meeting where a statue of a groundhog and men wearing top hats were prominent. Members read weather reports out loud and members made a pledge to America … and an oath of allegiance to the lodge and the groundhog.

In the 1960s, the groundhog was officially given the name Punxsutawney Phil and continued to grow in popularity, especially in the 1990s, thanks to the movie “Groundhog Day” featuring Bill Murray.

Punxsutawney Phil Predications

On Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his hole and ‘predicts’ the weather with a group called the Inner Circle. The Inner Circle is a group of 15 local dignitaries that are responsible for carrying out the yearly tradition, and feeding Phil, of course.

With the Inner Circle surrounding him, he comes out of his home and if he sees his shadow, we’ll have six more weeks of winter, but if he doesn’t see his shadow, we’ll have an early spring.

While it seems pretty simple, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, Punxsutawney Phil correctly predicted the seasonal changes about 50% of the time. While it may not be best, it’s the thought that counts.

In case you were wondering, The Spark will announce Punxsutawney Phil's 2023 predication on our Instagram!