February 2 brings the most watched weather forecast of the year - and the only one led by a rodent. Legend has it that on this morning, if a groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.
Why the Groundhog?
Since a groundhog (or woodchuck, marmot, "whistle pig") hibernates for the winter, its coming out of the ground is a natural sign of spring. In Europe centuries ago, people watched for other hibernating animals, including badgers, bears, and hedgehogs as signs of winter's end. Germans who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog. The widespread population of the rodent made it a handy agent for this particular weather superstition.
Why now?
Early February is midway between the winter soltice and the spring equinox. Throughout history numerous holidays have marked this seasonal crosssroads. Among there is Candlemas Day, February 2 (February 15 in Ukraine), a Christian holiday that celebrates Mary's ritual purification. Early Christians believed that if the sun came out on Candlemas Day, winter would last for six weeks more.
Punxsutaway Phil and Friends
In the 1880s some friends in Punxsutaway, Penn., went into the woods on Candlemas Day to look for groundhogs. This outgoing became a tradition, and a local newspaper editor nicknamed the seekers "the Punxsutaway Groundhog Club". Starting in 1887 the search became an official event centered on a grounhog called Punxsutaway Phil. A ceremony still takes place every year.
Today Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat adjoining the Punxsutaway Library. The weather-watching rodent's predictions are recorded in the Congressional Records of the USA National Archive.
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