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Groundhog Day: Shadow
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Groundhog Day is February 2nd. It is said that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather, and if he doesn't, that spring will be here soon.
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The tradition of Groundhog Day originates on Candlemas Day. Germans added to this tradition by designating the hedgehog as the official means by which the weather was predicted. If it came out and saw it's shadow, then you could expect six more weeks of winter. If it didn't, you could expect an early spring. [Read More]
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Groundhog Day, celebrated across the United States and Canada, on February 2, is purely a North American tradition. It is based on a belief that on this day (February 2) the groundhog, or woodchuck, comes out of hole after winter hibernation to look for its shadow. If the shadow is seen, it's a sunny day. And the groundhog foretells 'six more weeks of bad weather' and ... a lingering winter. But spring is coming if no shadow is seen because of clouds. The groundhog then behaves accordingly.
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Groundhog Day is held every February 2nd. On this day, a groundhog comes out of his burrow and pokes his head above ground. If he sees his shadow, he gets scared and hides back underground. When this happens, it is said that there are six more weeks of winter left. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, he will stay above ground. In this instance, spring is on its way.
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The myth of Groundhog Day is rooted in old Scottish and English rhymes involving Candlemas Day, which falls halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. According to the Continental tradition that gave rise to these rhymes, if the weather is cold and clear on this day, the cold will last; if it’s cloudy, the weather will soon turn. Groundhogs looking for their shadows are nothing but a convenient, folktale-friendly proxy. Supposing this story is somehow based in fact, it clearly must be a climate-specific fact. What may have been true centuries ago in Scotland, for example, may be all but meaningless in central Pennsylvania today. As a matter of fact, the very opposite appears to be much closer to the truth.
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In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is about six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. This was exactly six weeks after February 2. Assuming that the equinox marked the first day of spring in certain medieval cultures, as it does now in western countries, Groundhog Day occurred exactly six weeks before spring. Therefore, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day there would be six more weeks of winter. If he didn't, there would be 42 more days of winter
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