Well, we all know that it was the Germans that gave us the Christmas Tree, Easter Eggs and Kindergarten, but did you know…they gave us Groundhog Day?

Yep…on February 2nd we wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow when he leaves his underground home in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, and if so, will we have six more weeks of winter. But do you know where the tradition originated?

It is a special wintertime tradition that can be traced back to Germany and to the German settlers that came to live in Pennsylvania. Christians in Europe celebrated Candlemas Day on February 2nd. It is a religious celebration marking the midpoint of winter. The Germans added to that tradition by adding an animal, for them it was usually a badger (Dachstag) or hedgehog, and if it saw its shadow…six more weeks of winter, or in their terms, the ‘Second Winter’.

“For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May,” the Germans proclaimed.
When the Germans arrived in Pennsylvania and were unable to find hedgehogs, the groundhog became the substitute.

Over the years, Candlemas became Groundhog Day. I don’t believe the early Germans had anything to do with naming the Groundhog. Its early name was Br’er Groundhog. I firmly believe that if they had renamed, it wouldn’t be Phil (which is after King Phillip), but probably Ludwig, Hans, Gunther or something along those lines.

In the US, the first official Groundhog Day was on February 2, 1887, at Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. There are earlier references dating back to 1841.