Why is groundhog day a special day? By Dr. Andrea K. McClain Groundhog Day Feb. 2nd Why is groundhog day a special day? By Dr. Andrea K. McClain

It all started in Europe… A long time ago, most people were farmers and could not read or write. They didn’t even have calendars! How did they know what month or day it was? Most people kept track of time by paying attention to holidays. Candlemas is a holiday that takes place on February 2nd. In Germany, it is COLD in February. After German farmers celebrated Candlemas at church, they paid attention to what the hedgehogs were doing on their farms. Hedgehogs are animals who hibernate in their own underground burrows during the winter.

How cute are hedgehogs?

Why did the farmers watch the hedgehogs? Farmers need to plant their seeds at just the right time. If they plant them too early during the spring, the seeds will freeze and never grow into plants. If the hedgehogs came out of hibernation by February 2nd, the farmers decided that spring would come early. They would make plans to plant their crops. If the hedgehogs stayed underground in their burrows, the farmers decided that they would probably have a long winter. They should wait to plant their seeds. Wait a minute…what do hedgehogs in Germany have to do with Groundhog Day in America? Well, in the 1800s, many German farmers moved to America! Most of them settled down in the Midwest. Many moved to Pennsylvania.

Here is a map of the world Here is a map of the world! How do you think the farmers traveled to america?

How groundhog day started… When the German farmers moved to America, they brought their traditions with them. They kept speaking German as well as English. They made German food. They celebrated German holidays. There was only problem….how could they celebrate Candlemas on February 2nd without any hedgehogs? Back then, there were no hedgehogs in America! Nowadays, we have some in zoos. The farmers noticed another type of animal that lived in underground burrows and hibernated during winter. You guessed it! The farmers decided to watch the groundhogs’ behavior instead!

Groundhogs are common in the Midwest and are also cute!

And then the farmers turned it into a local tradition! The German-American farmers paid attention to the groundhogs, since there weren’t any hedgehogs to watch. What would the groundhogs do on Groundhog Day? If they came out of their burrows and it was a clear day, the groundhogs would see their shadows. They would go back underground. The farmers thought there would be six more weeks of winter. If the groundhogs came out of their burrows and it was a cloudy day, they would not see their shadows. They would stay outside. The farmers thought that this meant they would have an early spring.

The newspaper turned it into a party! In 1887, the newspaper in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania started to write articles about the town’s groundhogs. People started to have ceremonies on Groundhog Day. The people in Punxsutawney decided that their groundhogs were meteorologists, or weather experts! Every year on Groundhog Day, they have a special ceremony and bring out Punxsutawney Phil. Phil is a groundhog who has his own tiny zoo in the town library. There is a Groundhog Club that runs the ceremonies. They pretend that Phil told them whether or not he saw his shadow that morning. Groundhogs can’t really talk, but sometimes it’s fun to pretend.

Groundhog Day Fun

Gobblers’ knob is a special place That is the park in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where people come from near and far to watch the groundhog make his weather prediction on Groundhog Day. Thousands of people come to watch Phil make his weather prediction. Would you like to go to Gobblers’ Knob and watch Phil?

Groundhog day is a great day to remember that immigrants have made us the country we are today! Groundhog Day is a great day to remember that all immigrants bring special traditions with them when they come to America. Some of our ancestors immigrated long ago. Some of them immigrated recently. All of them have helped make America a special place. Unless you are a Native American, all of your ancestors came to America from another place and brought their special traditions with them. What are some of your special family traditions?