“Groundhog Day also shows us that the monotony ends. (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Grundsow Lodges in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the southeastern part of the state observe the occasion as well. Follow along with Grandma as she reads aloud GROUNDHOG DAY. ID: 15384 Language: English School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) Grade/level: Elementary Age: 10-15 Main content: Reading comprehension Other contents: Add to my workbooks (84) Embed in my website or blog Add to … The University of Dallas in Irving, Texas has boasted of hosting the second largest Groundhog celebration in the world. This appears to be an enhanced version of the lore that clear weather on the Christian festival of Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter. [21][20], Scholar Rhys Carpenter in 1946 emphasized that the Badger Day tradition was strong in Germany, but absent in the British Isles, and he referred to this as a reason that the U.S. Groundhog Day was not brought by immigrants from these places. [57][58], In Washington, D.C., the Dupont Circle Groundhog Day event features Potomac Phil, another taxidermic specimen. [14] Brendle also recorded the name "Grundsaudag" (Groundhog day in Lebanon County) and "Daxdaag" (Groundhog day in Northampton County).[15]. [78], One theory states that the groundhog naturally comes out of hibernation in central Pennsylvania in early February because of the increasing average temperature. [n][37][38] The flavor has been described as a "cross between pork and chicken". Many major news networks show the festivities for viewers to watch live online or on TV from the comfort of your own home, which takes place at 7:25 a.m. Eastern time. The first "Groundhog Picnic" was held in 1887 according to one source,[31] but given as post-circa-1889 by a local historian in a journal. The Germans already had a tradition of marking Candlemas (February 2) as "Badger Day" (Dachstag), where if a badger emerging found it to be a sunny day thereby casting a shadow, it foreboded the prolonging of winter by four more weeks. "farmers' rules") printed in Austria in 1823. [45] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held behind closed doors, with no fans allowed to attend. (2020, October 29). During weekdays, people will often attend before school or work. Assessments of the accuracy of other groundhogs such as Staten Island Chuck do use an objective formula (in Chuck's case, a majority of days that reach 40 °F (4 °C) in New York City between Groundhog Day and the March equinox). If you want to catch a glimpse of Phil's prediction in person, arrive in Punxsutawney a few hours early or, ideally, at least the day before. Other contemporaries of Freas (his colleagues at the paper and fellow-members of the club, etc.) This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. Phil has been a celebrated icon since 1887, and became a national celebrity when the movie ‘Groundhog Day,” featuring Bill Murray, came out in 1993. Victor Hugo, in "Les Misérables," (1864) discusses the day as follows: "...it was the second of February, that ancient Candlemas-day whose treacherous sun, the precursor of six weeks of cold, inspired Matthew Laensberg with the two lines, which have deservedly become classic: 'Qu'il luise ou qu'il luiserne, The groundhog, badger/bear, and hedgehog are all noted as paralleling each other. While the film depicts the real-life events and takes place in Punxsutawney, producers decided to film the movie in a location more accessible to a major metropolitan center. It was so proclaimed by the "Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world. Phil's fame began to spread and newspapers from around the world began to report his predictions. [82], The holiday gained more prominence with the release of the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Fahnestock and MacAfee, based on Wilbour. Drake also states that the German lore about the badger predicting the winter's duration was firmly accepted in New England. What is this, Miami Beach? [24][25] While in Scotland the animal that heralds spring on this day is a snake,[26] and on the Isle of Man a large bird,[27] in Ireland folklorist Kevin Danaher records lore of hedgehogs being observed for this omen: In Irish folk tradition St. Brighid's Day, 1 February, is the first day of Spring, and thus of the farmer's year. [56], Dunkirk Dave (a stage name for numerous groundhogs that have filled the role since 1960) is the local groundhog for Western New York, handled by Bob Will, a typewriter repairman who runs a rescue shelter for groundhogs. ", "Groundhog Day History from Stormfax® 2016", Groundhog Day forecasts and climate history. Growing legions of fans started making the trek to Punxsutawney every February 2, and with the release of the movie "Groundhog Day," the crowds began to number in the tens of thousands. She has an outdoor area as well as an indoor, climate controlled, cage. [31][m] It has also been suggested that Punxsutawney was where all the Groundhog Day events originated, from where it spread to other parts of the United States and Canada. The historian states that around 1889 the meat was served in the lodge's banquet, and the organized hunt started after that. The lodge members were the "genesis" of the Groundhog Club formed later, which continued the Groundhog Day tradition. The local paper proclaimed that Punxsutawney Phil, as he was affectionately named, was the one and only official weather prognosticating groundhog. ", "Hopeful Canadians look to Groundhog Day for predictions of an early spring", "Balzac Billy's legacy casts a long shadow", "How Accurate Are Punxsutawney Phil's Groundhog Day Forecasts? The bear goes back into his cave.)". [74] But a Middlebury College team found that a long-term analysis of temperature high/low predictions were 70% accurate, although when the groundhog predicted early spring it was usually wrong. 2021 was the 135th, and for the first time, much of the Inner Circle members were required to wear a mask. Powell, Albrecht. He travels to the town of Punxsutawney for work purposes. If it sees its shadow on this day, there will be six more weeks of winter, and if it does not, spring will start early. It's cold out there every day. Blogs: Metropolis. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is Groundhog Day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." [61], The day is observed with various ceremonies at other locations in North America beyond the United States. Retrieved 2021-02-02. ", "Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter", "Pennsylvania- Not the Groundhog Capital of the World? – Hugo, Victor. [55] Charlotte’s untimely death a week later prompted rumors she was killed by the fall.^ As a result, DeBlasio has not participated in the tradition since. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is Groundhog Day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." The groundhog's full name is actually "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather-Prophet Extraordinary." Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania who is the central figure in the borough's annual Groundhog Daycelebration. It is Groundhog Day! By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. Gay, Mara (September 25, 2014). Synonyms for Groundhog Day in Free Thesaurus. It was speculated that the European counterpart might have lore similar to the groundhog attached to it. [35], The groundhog was not named Phil until 1961, possibly as an indirect reference to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “We’ll light the big green candle, and eat some rhubarb pie, Gimme a kiss, it’s Groundhog Day and groundhogs do not lie… There are other cool songs of the same name too, by artists like Wale and Eminem so check those out. The town was first settled by the indigenous Lenape tribe in 1723 and its name comes from the Indian name for the location, which means "town of the sandflies." If he stays out, it means that he knows the mild weather is coming. At some point, a Candlemas folk song appeared in England that added the element of weather forecast to the holiday: If Candlemas be fair and bright,Come, Winter, have another flight;If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,Go Winter, and come not again. ", "Altoona Mirror Newspaper Archives, Jan 26, 1952", "Jimmy the Groundhog bites Sun Prairie mayor", "Sun Prairie mayor pardons Jimmy the Groundhog", "Staten Island Groundhog Makes Star Turn, This Year Without de Blasio", "Punxsutawney Phil and seven other famous groundhogs you should know", "Sean Kirst: For Dunkirk Dave's caretaker, every day is Groundhog Day", "A Groundhog Day scandal? My best friend died of alcoholic liver failure in early 2019. Wann Ilchtmess Marye awwer drieb is, dann bleibt der dachs haus un's watt noch enanner Friehyaahr. Groundhog Day is a film that was released in 1993 and narrates the story of a self-centred weatherman, Phil. [81], Similarly in Germany, on the June 27, they recognize the Seven Sleepers' Day (Siebenschläfertag). However, after being accused of collusion in 2018, Potomac Phil contradicted Punxsutawney Phil in 2019 and, further, predicted two more years of political insanity. What are synonyms for Groundhog Day? In addition, Phil always predicted correctly six more months of political gridlock. Buckeye Chuck, Ohio's official State Groundhog, is one of two weather predicting groundhogs. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. [a][6] A slight variant is found in a collection of weather lore (bauernregeln, lit. [22], There did exist a belief among Roman Catholics in Britain that the hedgehog predicted the length of winter, or so it has been claimed, but without demonstration of its age, in a publication by the Scotland-born American journalist Thomas C. MacMillan in 1886,[19] and American writer/journalist Samuel Adams Drake's book published in 1900.[23][h].