Why do we celebrate Groundhog Day?
Before we received weather reports from rodents and life lessons from time loops, Groundhog Day evolved for centuries into the bizarre holiday it is today.
THE SHADOW KNOWS: A handler hoists up Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2, 2009, after the famous groundhog saw his shadow, thereby predicting six more weeks of winter. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) 
Freas reported on the men's groundhog hunts and barbecues, touting them as members of "the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club." He became so enthralled by local groundhog folklore that he went on to promote Punxsutawney as home to a weather-predicting groundhog, a story he then continued to repeat and embellish year after year. Other newspapers began reporting it, too, and Punxsutawney soon became ground zero for groundhog meteorology, as well as the hometown of world-renowned forecaster "Punxsutawney Phil" (pictured at right).-
"Groundhog," "woodchuck" and even "whistle pig" are different names for the same animal — Marmota monax, the largest species of ground squirrel in North America. - Using only their teeth, claws and sturdy limbs, wild groundhogs dig extensive burrows that can be up to 5 feet deep and 45 feet long.
- The name "whistle pig" comes from their noisy reactions to being disturbed, which include whistling, squealing, barking, chattering and grinding their teeth.
- While most squirrels eat the reproductive parts of plants like seeds and nuts, groundhogs mainly graze on grass and leaves, but they sometimes eat insects, snails and bird eggs, too.
- Groundhogs are one of the few true hibernators, relying entirely on body fat to make it through winter. Their heartbeat slows from about 75 beats per minute to as few as 4, and their body temperature drops from the 90s into the 40s (F).
- An internal biological clock controls when wild groundhogs wake up from hibernation, but their actual emergence from the burrow depends more on daily temperature than intuition.
- Even aside from dedicating a holiday to it, Americans and Canadians have been very good to the groundhog. The species was relatively scarce when Europeans first settled the continent, but as settlers fragmented forests to set up farms and towns, they created more of groundhogs' favorite habitat — the edge between open and woodland areas — while also killing wolves, cougars and other top predators. Although groundhogs thrived and expanded their range, however, they still usually try to avoid contact with people.
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- Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day
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"Skeptics", "debunkers" and "nay-sayers" like to describe Punxsutawney Phil as right only 39% of the time, and so call him a poor indicator. But, remember, Phil only comes out of his burrow and stays out or goes back in. He never told people how to interpret it. Change the interpretations around around and, in fact, he'll be right 61% of the time! So, since he went back in and the "official" interpretation is 6 more weeks of wintry weather, that means it's really likely to be an early.... More
I always have a hot dog on Groundhogs Day.
I tossed out an old hotdog bun on our lawn one day to our visiting groundhog, and then laughed so hard to see it eating the bun just as you our I would eat a hotdog. It was so funny I am laughing now !
Today is MY Birthda! And I love the many jokes and giggles over this Special
Day! Phil iis one good Friend of Mine! LONG LIVE PHIL!
And Happy Birthday to ALL You GroundHogs! Love & Peace to us ALL!
And Bless America!!
I hung up my stocking for Groundhog Day again this year and again I was dissappointed. Nothin' Not even a lump of coal. I guess my loyalty will have to rest with the Great Pumpkin as He rises out of the pumpkin patch at midnight on Halloween.
It is a fun tradition. But has anyone noticed that the groundhog is not really predicting anything? If he sees his shadow...He is scared and runs back in... Six more weeks of Winter. If there is no shadow, it's six more weeks until Spring.
Six more weeks of Winter = Six more weeks until Spring = Same difference!
Enjoy.
At 39%, Phil is significantly worse than chance (50%). I therefore submit that he's actually correct 61% of the time but we humans have it backwards! Seeing shadow means early spring. Ta - da. And with climate change screwing with the weather, baby, anything can happen.
I love local customs & traditions of this kind, if you can't have fun with yearly cycles & festivals how dull life would be!
The second photo may serve to illustrate why groundhogs "...usually try to avoid contact with people."
PETA did try and raise hell over this a few years ago, but Punxsutawney is such a small country town that no one there really cared. I know because I grew up there. Also every year they give him a special elixer (beer) at the groundhog festival to keep him alive. Actually they have like 3 groundhogs in the "groundhog zoo" in the local library and I think they just switch to another one when one dies.
So if the groundhog is only right 39% of the time, how does that compare to meteorologists?
Weather forecasters are only about 10 % right. Groundhogs win.
Enter your comments
it saddens me to know that as a human race we de-humanize a long held reason to get out and know who else beleaves in the same. knowing we are a part of a bigger pictor. have a same beleaf. RELAX.
Know its ok to be around outhers who think this is important. Smile. Enjoy. its O:k ....................PEACE>>>>>Learn..............ENJOY
Did you get past middle school? And where is all this learning that you're doing going on?
Wow...... you're really not very smart at all are you?
Wow...did it occur to you that the person who made the above comment may not be from the U.S. and thus may have misspelled words because they do not know the English language as well as you apparently think everyone on the internet should? I don't know where this commenter is from. But I do know that to sit and demean someone else without knowing anything about that person is not the real American way to treat people. This is a comment board...not an English grammar or spelling test.
Thanks for your comment. I find many people on these boards who cannot wait to put some other person down. The fact that someone cannot/doesn't communicate well in English has no bearing on how smart they are. Even if it did, that doesn't in any way make the negative commentor smarter.
thank you
Hahahaha! I was thinking the same thing!
Hahahaha! I was thinking the same thing!
We got married on Feb. 2 and because of Phil we have never forgotten our anniversary day. Life has a funny way of repeating itself and we have been doing that for 44 years. We think it is a great day!
My husband and I got married on Groundhog Day also! Kind of geeky - but every year we incorporate the Bill Murray movie 'Groundhog Day' into our celebration. I hope you have a great anniversary today!
We got married on Feb. 2 and because of Phil we have never forgotten our anniversary day. Life has a funny way of repeating itself and we have been doing that for 44 years. We think it is a great day!
sooo... back to the groundhogs... good for them.
Sooo... back to the groundhog...
According to this article, the groundhog has been 39% accurate over the last 40 years. So why not change what seeing his shadow means? Suddenly, he becomes 61% accurate!
As I understand it, Marmots around the world including groundhogs do wake from hibernation pretty much on the same day, Feb 2 independent of location, altitude, weather. I found this out as "stated" in Germany when visiting the glacier where there are lots of Marmots. So if true, what better predictor that its Feb 2 would there be?
They're delicious!
The groundhog that predicts 6 more weeks of winter should be eaten! It puts us back to the ancient custom of killing the messenger!
And exactly how accurate are the guys making 6 figure incomes when they give us a 7 day forecast. 39% for a 6 week prognostication sounds pretty good!
Soooo, since I live in Colorado, I really feel like I don't need some random groundhog to tell me that there's going to be another 6 weeks of winter! I'm quite sure that the groundhogs don't even bother with it anymore in CO.
if the media didn't remind us every year.
Even though I know it's pointless, it's still a fun holiday to celebrate. But then again I celebrate Imbolc/Candlemas as well. It's nice to have a reminder that winter WILL not last forever, which is the real reason this holiday started. But then again Winter Solstice is also celebrated to remind people that there is good even in the darkest part of the year...we as the human race need those times.
We've had a Groundhog Day celebration at work for the last 17 years. We decorate, have presentations, contests and plenty of food. It's one of our biggest parties. With an irony perfect for this holiday, this year it had to be postponed due to the weather forecast. We're supposed to get 2 feet of snow/ice.
i got 25 feet of snow in your face
Today is my birthday. I love to celebrate Grounghog's Day.
I will go out and check for my shadow later. It is raining this morning so I hope I do not see it.
For those of you that think this is a silly holiday I suggest you loosen up and have some fun now and then!!! By the way, I have a birthday cake with a tiny toy groundhog hidden in it. The person that gets that piece wins a prize.
Today is my birthday. I love to celebrate Grounghog's Day.
I will go out and check for my shadow later. It is raining this morning so I hope I do not see it.
For those of you that think this is a silly holiday I suggest you loosen up and have some fun now and then!!! By the way, I have a birthday cake with a tiny toy groundhog hidden in it. The person that gets that piece wins a prize.
that was funny...i also love groundhog day
Marmota monax is actually the smallest of several species of marmot in North America. There are four others, all larger. The Hoary Marmot (Marmota Caligata) is the largest. Also, "whistle pig" is associated with M. caligata, not M. monax.
If the groundhog fails to see his shadow, there will be "six more weeks of winter" but if if he does see his shadow, there will be "six weeks until the beginning of spring"
It's all a joke people! It's similar to the annual flag football game played at some midwestern colleges that determines the difference between "soda" and "pop" for the rest of the school year. The groundhog isn't predicting the climate, he's settling semantics.
Until now, I thought I was the only one who got the joke. Congratulations.
If he sees his shadow, he runs back into hiding and there are 6 more weeks of winter. No shadow and he stays out and about knowing that Spring is just around the corner. Sounds counterintuitive that sunshine would mean more Winter, but that's mythology for you.
Best part of Ground Hog's Day: It's my birthday!
I'll be the Whistle Pig is wondering the same thing...let him hibernate.
Just so you know - Phil really does not hibernate - he is very well cared for.His food is cooked for him. He eats better then we do. He has daily exercise. He's very well taken care of, his home is heated in winter & cooled in the summer. He's better off than alot of us now in days. So MAYBE this is WHY Peta has not gone all crazy. Oh and a family friend is/was one of his handlers.
I'm surprised the people of PETA haven't tried to end this holiday years ago. Why aren't they outraged that a poor little animal is pulled out of his home and traumatized. I thought they cared about the animals.
I am not a fan of PETA. Chaining your self to a tree naked outside my office building last summer does not make me want to join their cause.
