We have all heard of the holiday Groundhog Day, and probably have a basic idea of what it is. The groundhog comes out of the ground, and if he sees his shadow- six more weeks of winter! If he doesn’t, we will start spring. This may sound like just any old silly superstition, but it is a tradition that has been passed down since 1887! 

The February holiday known as “Candlemas” is a day where Christians bring candles to the Church as a sign of the changing of winter. This was a symbol of warmth and this holiday was later evolved into our current Groundhog Day. These days that signified the turning of holidays were important to Europeans and later on November 1st became All Saints Day, May 1st became May Day, and February 1st (later pushed back one day) became known to us as Groundhog Day. These days were turning points in the seasons and were important for Christians. But how does a tradition surrounded by candles shift into the hands of a rodent? The idea of animals controlling the weather has been around for a long period of time. The European Encyclopedia: from 1650 to the twenty-first century by Jeff Loveland points out that German Badger is the “weather prophet” for Candlemas.  As this holiday evolved and traveled overseas to the Americas, the badger was traded out for Phil the groundhog. Lauren Urquico (10) says “I thought Groundhog Day was just a movie, but I see that there is so much more to that!” 

This holiday is commonly celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of Phil the groundhog. According to PBS Nature, groundhog’s life expectancy is 6 years in the wild and 14 years in captivity. 

So how has Phil lived for over 200 years? Well according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil receives a magical “elixir of life” to grant him 7 more years of life every year. But Phil isn’t the only groundhog in town. Phil is currently married to Phyllis, who does not receive the “elixir of life” like Phil does, says the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club . Who knows how many wives Phil has gone through!

Phil is supposedly a married man with a great job as a meteorologist, yet is he ever correct? Well, according to Fox Weather, “Phil has predicted 107 continued winters and only 20 early springs as of 2023. According to the Stormfax Almanac, that works out to a 39% accuracy rate for Phil.” That’s not too bad for a groundhog!