Groundhog Day is an interesting holiday for many of us. Most don’t partake in it, but the holiday clearly has some prominence within society. So what exactly is Groundhog Day? Well every year, the famous groundhog Phil Punxsutawney comes out from hibernation. If he sees his shadow then winter isn’t over quite yet and he goes back to hibernation. On the other hand, if he sees no shadow, it is said spring will be coming soon. It may seem silly that so many people give the job of forecasting to a groundhog and not meteorologists; and, the truth is that no correlation has been observed between a groundhog’s shadow and the weather. The holiday, however, is a joyful one to partake in; and, accurate or not, festivities continue to take place every year.

Groundhog Day always takes place on February 2nd and during this day, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club goes to Phil’s burrow and awaits his decision. Not only do the members of the club go to see this phenomenon, but so do tens of thousands of tourists. People from all over the world even tune in to watch the livestream. There are many different events that take place in Punxsutawney to celebrate Groundhog Day; including a talent show, a reception, a banquet, a ball, a lunch, and more! It’s safe to say that Groundhog Day can be taken pretty seriously in Pennsylvania.

So how did this holiday even come to be in the first place? Well, the holiday itself falls in between the winter solstice and the beginning of spring. The holiday was originally called Candlemas, and when Germans began to immigrate to Pennsylvania, the groundhog tradition began. The Germans looked to a badger to predict the weather, but once reaching America, they relied on the groundhog. The weather was a determining factor in the economic success of a large population of people who worked in agriculture. The weather decided whether crops would be successful that year and if a good amount of profit would be made. This led to the holiday being widely celebrated because the weather impacted everyone in some way or another.

It wasn’t all that great for Phil initially, though. Every year Phil receives an “elixir of life”, making him live for another seven years. Therefore, Phil is “immortal” and has been on this earth for quite a long time. Before this elixir came along, however, people who celebrated Groundhog Day would proceed to eat Phil and his family after he made his weather prediction. Thankfully, this tradition isn’t around anymore.

Overall, Groundhog Day is a fascinating holiday centered around the famous Phil Punxsutawney. It has roots dating back to 1887 and a complex history for sure, coming all the way from Europe to America. As for now, we’ll have to wait and see if Phil’s predicted early spring is right this year.