The world owes this holiday to the United States and Canada, where it is truly celebrated. In the rest of the world, people only know what Groundhog Day is and sometimes the history of the holiday. Celebrations are held annually on February 2, when people watch the groundhog crawl out of the hole, thus predicting the arrival of spring.
Groundhog Day: where do predictions come from?
So, Groundhog Day is a holiday of spring predictions, when people actively monitor the behavior of animals crawling out of cozy minks. As you know, marmots are fearful creatures, so the predictions should not be considered absolutely accurate. In most cases, the following trend is observed: if the day was cloudy, the groundhog does not notice its shadow and boldly crawls out of the hole. This sign is considered good - it means that spring will come soon. If on February 2, Groundhog Day turned out to be sunny, the animal, most likely, will be afraid of its shadow and will run back to the hole. Such a sign portends at least another 2 months of cold weather.
On this day, all Americans who know what Groundhog Day is, thank the animal for predicting and praise the nation’s favorite in every way. Americans are incredibly faithful to traditions, they still regularly keep groundhog predictions statistics, and only 40% of forecasts turn out to be true. However, despite the disappointing statistics, in the United States and Canada they still hold whole festivals dedicated to the marmot predictors.
The history of the holiday
The traditional groundhog day originated in Ancient Rome, and its concept was absolutely identical, only the Romans chose a simple hedgehog instead of a groundhog. In Rome, the holiday was also celebrated on February 2, when the hedgehog woke up and looked at his behavior. The result, as well as with the groundhog, depended on the courage of the animal - he will see or not see his shadow, he will be frightened or still crawl out of the hole.
Groundhog Day in America began to be celebrated in Pennsylvania, when one day on February 2, a groundhog suddenly climbed out of a mink, although theoretically it should have been in hibernation. Local residents were extremely surprised and saw a certain meteorological meaning in it, this was the beginning of the history of the holiday in the modern world.
The whole world learned about what Groundhog Day is about 120 years ago, some countries of Western Europe adopted this tradition and preserved to this day. In Russia, a hedgehog acts as a predictor, northern Germany wakes a badger, and in America, due to the absence of both, a marmot was chosen.
How to Celebrate Groundhog Day
Today, the groundhog festival is associated not so much with predictions, but with a simple desire to break away from the ordinary gray life for a day. There are many ways to amuse yourself and company on this day. If your friends also know what Groundhog Day is, invite them to have a small party with fun games.
You can, for example, play the game "Beast". This is a kind of pantomime, when participants stand in a circle, and the name of any animal whispers to everyone ’s ear . Then the players try to guess who is who. You can arrange a holiday with your family, for example, switch roles: the husband conjures at the stove, and the wife plays computer games, while the children are free to do anything, they will probably think of something to puzzle their parents about.
Groundhog Day and Religion
The fact is that February 2, from an astronomical point of view, is the middle of winter, this day marks an equal interval between the spring and autumn equinox, therefore it is important not only as an American holiday.
For example, the Catholic Church on this day celebrates the Meeting of the Lord or the Thunder. Interestingly, this holiday (like many others) came from paganism, where it was considered the day of sacrifice to the god Perun.
However, the traditions of the pagan holiday are incredibly close to the concept of Groundhog Day: on the Day of the Thunders, they also observed the weather. If the day turned out to be frosty, then warming is expected soon, and if it is warm on February 2, the harvest will be poor. A blizzard meant a long winter.
The most famous marmot predictors
The very first and most famous meteorologist was the founder of the holiday. He lived in Pennsylvania and his name was Phil, and the Americans came up with a whole title in a few lines, and the city of Panksatoni was dubbed the "Capital of the Weather."
In Canada, there is also a hero - Willy from Viarton. The groundhog is known for waking up every year on February 2, after which the owner of the animal (and part-time the mayor) listens to the prediction that the groundhog whispers in his ear. After the mission is completed, the groundhog, yawning, returns back to the hole. It is unlikely that the animal knows that a whole fan club has been formed among Canadians, and on the Internet it has a personal site that has won several awards ... Moreover, Willy also owns the largest groundhog sculpture, a Canadian sculptor erected it in 1995, apparently also a member of the Viarton Willy Fan Club ...
Despite the inaccuracy of predictions, marmots are still revered both in the United States and Canada, because people still want to believe in miracles, living in a modern dry world ...