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Blog
Groundhog day...again
Posted Friday, 3 February 2012 / Written by The Twig
Yesterday, 2 February, was Groundhog Day. It's probably fair to say that few of us in the UK would have heard of the day if it wasn't for the eponymous Bill Murray film in the late 90s. But, quirky romantic comedies aside, there is an interesting seasonal background to the festival.
According to folklore, if a groundhog sees his shadow when he emerges from his burrow, winter will last for six more weeks. If it's a cloudy day, the Spring will come early. (Folklore doesn't seem to provide for the possibility that Spring will be late...)
The tradition actually appears to date back to the Christian celebration of Candlemas, which takes place on the same date, and the Germans in particular seem to be the likely importers of it to the US. There is, though, some interesting speculation that the day developed to allow for a compromise between the two conflicting views of when Spring actually starts. Most western traditions dictate that Spring begins on the Vernal Equinox (usually 20th March, when the days start being longer than the nights), whereas pagans favoured the festival of Imbolc (which, as we reported last month, is celebrated in early February). Thus, by allowing the groundhog to choose between the two possibilities, a row was avoided. Permitting a rodent to dictate the national calender seems an odd form of govenment policy but, then again, we're not aware of any civil wars sparked by the subject, so maybe it worked.
Of the 37 recorded groundhog forecasts this year, 27 (73%) have predicted an early Spring. If today's weather is anything to go by, we're not totally convinced they've got it right...
