The Groundhog Day tradition originates from the beliefs of German settlers living in Pennsylvania, USA, in the 18th century.
They believed that an animal emerging from its burrow on February 2nd, which coincided with Candlemas, could predict the weather. Candlemas marks 40 days after the birth of Jesus Christ.
Germans initially used badgers as the forecasting animal, but upon moving to America, they replaced them with more readily available groundhogs.
They adopted the legend of Native Americans, considering groundhogs as their ancestors with special wisdom.
The first recorded Groundhog Day tradition was in 1886 by The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper. The newspaper reported that a club named Punxsutawney Groundhog Club held an annual event to observe a groundhog they named Phil. Phil is a nickname for Phileas, meaning “nature lover” in Greek.
Since then, Groundhog Day tradition has grown in popularity, spreading to various cities in America and Canada.
Each city has its own groundhog with different names, such as Wiarton Willie, Shubenacadie Sam, Staten Island Chuck, and others. These groundhogs are usually housed in special places called Groundhog Lodges.
