Groundhog Day! Can Spring be far away?

February 2nd heralds the return of Groundhog Day, and predictions by furry creatures whether we'll have six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

Well, I don't know about you, but after all the snow I could do with a bit of spring.

I can never remember whether if he sees his shadow it's winter or spring, so I did a little digging, and the answer astounded me: If he sees his shadow--meaning the day is sunny--that signifies 6 more weeks of bad weather, and he scrambles back into his hole for an extended nap. If the sky is cloudy--no shadow--he figures spring is near and stays above ground.

Huh? I thought spring meant sunshine and painted Easter eggs; cloudy, grey skies, winter. But I'm no scientist. On cloudy grey days I just want to curl up under the covers.

Oh, well.

So how did Groundhog Day come about? And no, it didn't start with Punxsutawney Phil. :) Groundhog Day is based on Candlemas. Candlemas was an ancient festival that marked the midpoint of winter, halfway between the winter solstice (shortest day) and the spring equinox.It's one of the four cross-quarter days. In the US these days mark the middle of a season (but in some cultures they marked the beginning of a season).

February 2nd, one of the four principal festivals of the pagan calendar is also called Imbolc, and was originally dedicated to the goddess/saint Brigid (St. Brigid's Day). The tradition of the day was to watch and see if the serpents or badgers came out of their winter dens. Fire and purification are important aspects of the festival; it's tied to warmth and the increasing power of the sun. (Think spring!) For Christians, it represented the light of God. All the candles to be used for the coming year were brought to church and a blessing was said over them. Some believed candles offered protection against plague, illness, and famine, stemming from the ancient Romans, who used candles to scare away evil spirits in winter.

The tradition evolved into Groundhog Day in the US and Canada because Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were German, and groundhogs--similar to the European hedgehog, and, assumedly, the aforementioned badgers--were aplenty in the Pennsylvania woods.

The Punxsutawney Spirit (newspaper) is credited with printing the news of the first Groundhog Day observance in 1886. Every year the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania celebrates. During the ceremony Phil comes out of his temporary home in rural Gobbler's Knob. But don't worry about Phil--the rest of the year he lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis. (Too cute!)

If our old pal Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, that means we're in for 6 more weeks of winter--the "2nd winter", or the second half of winter, a season being 12 weeks/3 months.

While I love the beauty of all the seasons--even winter, crisp white snow blanketing the landscape--I confess, I've got my fingers crossed for a cloudy, wet day Monday, February 2nd, so Phil doesn't see his shadow.

Actually, now I see that weather thing makes sense after all: showers bring all those spring flowers.

Here's wishing you a shower of "flowers," either way. And 6 weeks more winter or not, Spring is just around the corner. No matter how dark things get in your life, spring is just around the corner. I can feel it. Whatever Phil decrees.

Have a great one!

Wanna learn more about Groundhog Day and the traditions behind it, like Candlemas? Here are some cool links:

Groundhog.org -- the official site of Punxsutawney Phil and the Groundhog Club in Pennsylvania

2009 Groundhog Day celebration in Pennsylvania

Groundhog Day

Imbolc -- Wikipedia

February Facts, Customs, and Traditions

Punxsutawney Phil