Origin of Groundhog Day
The first Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1887, featuring the famous Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. While the tradition remains popular, studies have found no consistent correlation between the groundhog’s prediction and the arrival time of spring.
Table of Contents
- Origin of Groundhog Day
- Why Do We Use a Groundhog to Predict the Weather?
- How Accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?
Why Do We Use a Groundhog to Predict the Weather?
In Germany, badgers were actually used to predict the weather. However, badgers were not so common in Pennsylvania, where Germans first established settlements in the United States. In 1887, rumors were circulating around a groundhog’s ability to predict the weather – our good ole Punxsutawney Phil. Shortly after, the entire country turned towards that chubby rodent to predict the coming spring, and thus, Groundhog Day was born.
How Accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?
As of this morning (Feb. 2, 2022), Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow and saw his shadow. Therefore, as the superstition goes, that means six more weeks of winter weather. While we Midwesterners are used to cold winters, I think we all look forward to sooner and warmer spring-like weather.