What are the Origins of Groundhog Day?
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February 2nd, 2010 by AdvisorAnalyst
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Ever asked yourself, what is this Groundhog Day thing anyway?
This excerpt is courtesy of National Geographic, February 1, 2010.
Video: Wild Groundhog in “Action”
Groundhog Day Origins
According to the official Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day Web site, Groundhog Day is the result of a blend of ancient Christian and Roman customs that came together in Germany.
In the early days of Christianity in Europe, clergy would distribute blessed candles to the faithful on February 2 in honor of Candlemas, a holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary’s presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth.
Along the way, February 2 also became associated with weather prediction, perhaps due to its proximity to the pagan Celtic festival of Imbolc—also a time of meteorological superstition—which falls on February 1.
Tradition held that the weather on Candlemas was important: clear skies meant an extended winter.
Legend has it that the Romans also believed that conditions during the first days of February were good predictors of future weather, but the empire looked to hedgehogs for their forecasts.
These two traditions melded in Germany, and was brought over to the United States by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. Lacking hedgehogs, the German settlers substituted native groundhogs in the ritual, and Groundhog Day was born.
Source: NationalGeographic.com
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Tags: Candlemas, Celtic Festival, Clear Skies, Clergy, Excerpt, February 2, Future Weather, German Immigrants, German Settlers, Groundhog Day, Groundhogs, Imbolc, Jesus At The Temple, National Geographic, Origins, Punxsutawney Phil, Romans, Superstition, Virgin Mary, Weather PredictionPosted in Markets |
