https://blogs.loc.

gov/folklife/2022/02/groundhog-day-ancient-origins-of-a-
modern-celebration/

Most of us know the tradition: on February 2, our old friend the groundhog will emerge
from hibernation, come out of his den, and predict whether winter will deliver more cold
weather this year. If the groundhog sees his shadow, the story goes, he will return to
hibernation and cold weather will persist another few weeks. If not, warm weather is
around the corner.

“Groundhog” is the common vernacular name of the ground squirrel formally known
as Marmota Monax. This animal also goes by other names; the terms “woodchuck,”
“marmot,” “land beaver,” “whistler,” and even “whistle-pig” all refer to the same creature.
Whatever the name, there’s a strong belief that this little burrowing mammal predicts the
weather, and a specific connection to the second day of February. This Groundhog Day
tradition is celebrated in many places in the United States and Canada, with an emphasis
on tongue-in-cheek humor and ceremonious proclamations. It is best known among
people whose ancestors spoke German, especially the Pennsylvania Dutch.

https://www.visitpa.com/article/history-groundhog-day

EUROPEAN ROOTS

• The Groundhog Day celebration is similar to some ethnic cultures’ belief that animals
awake from hibernation on specific dates.
• Early Christians celebrated Candlemas Day, when the clergy blessed and distributed
candles. Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this
tradition to the Germans, who picked it up and concluded that if the sun made an
appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal (the hedgehog) would cast a shadow, thus
predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which they interpolated as the length of the
"Second Winter."
• Several of Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were from Germany. They found groundhogs
in many parts of the state and determined that the groundhog, which resembled the
hedgehog, was an intelligent animal and decided that if the sun appeared on Feb. 2, the
groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another
six weeks of winter.

https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/humble-groundhog-good-predicting-winter-
weather#:~:text=But%20can%20they%20actually%20predict,39%20percent%20of%20the%20ti
me.

Te pongo la canción porque antes dice que este festividad procede del “Candlemas Day” y esto
es demostrable por una parte de la canción en inglés:

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.”

But can they actually predict the weather? Sorry, but the statistics say no. According to
the Stormfax Almanac, in his prolific 130-year career as a weather forecaster, Punxsutawney
Phil's predictions have only been correct about 39 percent of the time. So you actually have a
better chance of predicting the next six week’s weather yourself with the flip of a coin.