American Holidays: Groundhog Day

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• Have you ever watched the news on February 2 to see whether Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow?

• Or maybe you prefer Milltown Mel, Buckeye Chuck, or General Beauregard Lee?

Or maybe you have no idea what we're talking about!

According to legend, if a groundhog sees his shadow on February 2nd, it gets scared and returns to its hole for six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, he takes it as a sign that spring is coming, and he remains outside his hole.

Groundhog Day is an unofficial holiday, meaning it is not recognized by the federal government, although it is celebrated every year at the beginning of February.

To learn more about this fun holiday, watch the video below.

As you heard in the video, Groundhog day is celebrated in the United States and Canada, but the tradition comes from Germany.

For hundreds of years, Germans believed badgers were intelligent animals capable of predicting the weather. The Germans would watch the badgers to decide when to plant their crops.

When Germans began settling in North America, they brought their traditions with them. Unfortunately, there were not many badgers in Pennsylvania where large groups of Germans settled.

Thinking the groundhog resembled the badger, they began watching groundhogs.

• Let's see...how much alike are groundhogs and badgers?

The animal on the left is a groundhog, and the one on the right is a badger:

Since the 1800s, Groundhog Day has been celebrated annually on February 2^nd.

It is uncertain exactly why this date was selected, but historians have a few ideas.

First, February 2^nd is also Candlemas, a Catholic holiday that celebrates Jesus's first entry into the temple. It's a day when candles are blessed, hence the name Candle Mass, which was shortened to Candlemas.

Many superstitions about the weather have been associated with Candlemas for centuries. For example, an old English song goes:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

A second explanation goes back to the New England farmers of the 17^th century, who considered February 2^nd to be the heart of winter. Farmers would use the weather on this day to predict how much longer the cold winter weather would last.

In addition, an old farming superstition said if a farmer did not have half his hay remaining on February 2^nd, his cows would lose weight before spring brought fresh grass.

Today, Groundhog Day is centered in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It has become more of a media event than an actual holiday.

Punxsutawney Phil has become the official groundhog of Groundhog Day. Every year, thousands gather in Punxsutawney to see whether or not Phil will see his shadow.

Many young children in schools will watch the celebration on television and make predictions about Phil's shadow.

You can learn more about Groundhog Day by exploring the official Groundhog Day website called The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Be sure to check out the Legend & Lore page to learn more about the history and traditions associated with Groundhog Day.

• What do you think about Groundhog Day?
• Do you think it is a silly or fun holiday?
• Do you believe Phil can actually predict the weather?

Move on to the Got It? section to learn more about this holiday.