Groundhog Day: The underdog holiday

Since 1886, citizens of Punxsutawney, PA have gathered around on the morning of Feb. 2 to predict weather patterns with a groundhog named Phil. This celebration, known as Groundhog Day, is, unfortunately, one of the lesser known holidays celebrated here in the U.S.. 

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Groundhog Day originated from the Christian holiday Candlemas, where every Feb. 2 Christians would bring candles to their church to have them blessed. These blessings were believed to bring good luck to the household for the rest of the winter. 

A folk song with the lyrics, “If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again” was written, and is the origin of weather prediction on Groundhog Day. 

The actual use of an animal comes from Germanic folklore, where a hedgehog was used to predict if winter would last an additional six weeks. Since there are no wild hedgehogs in the U.S., a new rodent was selected, and now, we have Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog that we know and love. 

Americans tend to go overboard with holidays. The Fourth of July, Christmas, Halloween and even Easter have huge traditions attached to them and place a lot of pressure on Americans wanting to celebrate. Individuals spend hundreds of dollars on food, party supplies and gifts for each of these holidays, while the only product one could spend money on for Groundhog Day is a plane ticket to Punxsutawney, PA–or, due to Covid, a cardboard cutout with a photo of yourself on stage with Phil–or Punxsutawney Phil merchandise. Groundhog Day is a simple, straightforward holiday that places very little pressure on those who celebrate. A low maintenance holiday is just what one needs after living through another holiday season.

Another perk of Groundhog Day is that it is incredibly wholesome. A group of men dressed in top hats and trench coats pull out a furry rodent while thousands of people watch. If the cute and cuddly creature sees his shadow, then we have to endure six more weeks of winter. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this up, and Phil only has a 40% accuracy rate. Regardless of his accuracy, people are excited to see Phil and hear his prediction. Groundhog Day is one of the few, if not the only,  holiday where the people celebrating cannot be disappointed as all the activities of the day are just meant to be silly and fun. 

Groundhog Day is the perfect holiday for Americans as we tend to get caught up in bigger issues in life. This celebration allows us to take a quick step back from all the hustle and bustle of the real world and appreciate the smaller things, such as America’s  most iconic rodent. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply