Shubenacadie Sam, Nova Scotia’s groundhog, did not see his shadow today. According to tradition this means we’ll have an early spring.
However, down in Pennsylvania, Puxsutawney Phil did see his shadow. It’s weird that spring will be in Canada before it arrives in the USA.
This is an ancient Christian celebration dating back longer than I’ve been alive. Known as Candlemas Day, it marked the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year while spring equinox is when there is an equal amount of daylight as there is night time. Today, we’re right smack in the middle. You might have noticed that it’s light for just a bit longer than it was at the same time a month ago.
Anyway, clergy would bless candles and then pass said candles out to the people. The superstition was as true back then as it is today. If there is sun we’ll have six more weeks of winter and if it’s cloudy then spring will come early. Sometime later, the Germans introduced the hedgehog into the prediction. If their hedgehog saw his shadow then we’d have more bad weather, a second winter.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again
When the German then migrated to the New World they brought their lederhosen and traditions with them. However, due to a lack of hedgehogs in Pennsylvania, they switched to groundhogs.
In 1886, just 110 years after the US declared their independence, a newspaper by the name of Punxsutawney Spirit, printed the first news of Groundhog Day to be observed. The next year, The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob. The editor of that paper declared Punxsutawney Phil to be America’s whether forecasting groundhog.
Wikipedia lists 26 prognosticators. Thirteen saw their shadow and predict six more weeks of winter. For those you who struggle with math, that leaves thirteen others who are predicting an early spring. I guarantee at least half of the 26 are right.
Technically, we have 6 more weeks of winter no matter what the groundhogs and hedgehogs say.
All In A Dad's Work 
That was really interesting. I had never thought about winter solstice and the spring equinox. If the next 6 weeks is no worse than the past 6 weeks, it really doesn’t matter whether he sees it or not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our weather the past 6 weeks has been tolerable. Unusually warm, actually. I wouldn’t mind one more big snow storm then spring is more than welcome to come 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s new to me (Candlemas). Very interesting! I was just talking to Silver Bullet the other day mentioning that perhaps Spring is already here as the temperature is going up to 10 degrees celcius these days and it’s supposed to be right smack of winter still! I would not mind spring – my favourite season of the year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mayor DeBlasio did not attend this year’s Groundhog Day event. Nor last year’s, actually. I’m guessing that’s because two years ago he dropped the groundhog. Who died two days later. Ouch!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear. I wouldn’t go back either! How embarrassing!
LikeLike
It begs the question: who’s better at predicting weather: a groundhog or the weathermen? I’m not sure…
LikeLike