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Holidays and Observances - When Did Groundhog Day Begin?

When did Groundhog Day begin?

In 1841 a German shopkeeper in Berks County, Pennsylvania, wrote that February 2 was the day the groundhog (woodchuck) comes out of his burrow from hibernating (sleeping through the winter). If the day is sunny and the groundhog sees his shadow, he returns to his burrow for six more weeks of hibernation. If the day is cloudy and the groundhog cannot see his shadow, then he ends his hibernation and the weather will be mild. The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, who lives near Punxsutawney in northcentral Pennsylvania. Members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declare that in more than ninety years of predicting the weather, Phil has never been wrong!

Further Information: Barkin, Carol and Elizabeth James. The Holiday Handbook. New York: Clarion, 1993, pp. 85–85; Stormfax. Groundhog Day History. [Online] Available

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