Groundhog Day
There are many holidays that we, as a culture, celebrate but often times don’t know why we are celebrating such a day. For some it might be St Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or Halloween. One holiday that I did not know the reasoning behind a celebration was Groundhog Day. I do not feel that I am alone in questioning the celebration of a small, hibernating, squirrel-like animal unearthing himself from his hole to look for his shadow, and from some mystical ability he can foretell the future of our weather patterns from such a shadow. But, after some research, I have found that this day is not just a celebration of shadows and weather predictions, but is more a celebration of the link between man and nature, and furthermore, it is a biblical holiday.
Officially celebrated on February 2nd, Groundhog Day is also known as Candlemas. This holiday is an observance of the Law of Moses, which stated that parents had to bring in their first born son to church and offer him to God after the child was forty days old. By “offering” one’s child, the parent or parents were baptizing and showing their God they had full faith and will pass on this faith to their children. On this day, it is believed that the Virgin Mary brought baby Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem and offered him to God (add forty days to December 15th and you get February 2nd). It is said that when Jesus was presented to God, an old Jew named Simon held him in his arms and said the baby would be “A light to lighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). This quote could be a comparison to light bearing candles, therefore leading to the name Candlemas.
Despite these teachings in the Bible, there are some who believe that this procession with candles dates back to the Roman times, contradicting the belief that the Christians first celebrated with a candle procession. The Roman holiday, called Lupercalia, was celebrated on February 15th to honor the goddess Ceres. This holiday called for a candlelight procession, to honor the believed search the goddess took around Sicily to find her lost daughter, using torchlight. When the Christians attempted to Christianize the Romans, they borrowed their tradition of using candles in celebration. In the Middle Ages, the candles were blessed on Candlemas, and believed to chase away bad spirits throughout the year. Even the unused candle stubs were saved because they were thought to be good luck charms. Candles were looked upon in such a way because there was no electricity, and people were completely dependant on them for light in winter and at night. In modern Roman Catholic countries, there are still celebrations for Candlemas. These candles are believed to have special powers, and are to be used during times of illness, weddings, funerals, and other gatherings (hoghistory).
But what do Candlemas and groundhogs have in common? Dating back to the medieval times, it was believed that hibernating animals (not just groundhogs) would come out of their holes on Candlemas to check on the weather, calling these animals Candlemas Bears. These Candlemas Bears could be groundhogs, hedgehogs or badgers, depending on which country is celebrating the day. This custom was brought to the United States by German settlers, and they chose the groundhog as their Candlemas Bear. The US tradition was derived from not only the German Settlers, but also the Scottish poem:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop (brownielocks)
Our most famous Candlemas Bear in the United States is Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog believed to be a century old. This animal is so legendary to some, that he has a heated burrow on a stage area with a fake tree. Phil has been so revered, that he has been on multiple television shows, has met President Reagan, and even has his own website complete with webcam. Phil even had troops assigned to protect him in February 2002, after the attack on September 11th. Why he is so revered is confusing though, considering Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct 28% of the time, since his first shadow in 1887 (brownielocks). Perhaps it’s just people’s undying love to uphold tradition, or maybe it’s because people truly believe this animal is a century old and can tell the future. Either way, in my cynical opinion, I believe there are more important things to worry about than a groundhog’s shadow-watching weather prediction that isn’t even correct half the time.
In conclusion, regardless of how it began (Roman vs. Christian beginnings) or why we continue to celebrate such a day, Groundhog Day has brought not only a really good movie, but also a tradition in which we have blended German, Scottish and other cultures to create our own, unique holiday. The fact that we are still celebrating such a holiday is impressive to me. Despite Punxsutawney Phil’s inability to accurately predict the weather, we still watch with eager eyes, to see what this small animal will see when he awakens from his hibernation every February 2nd.
WORKS CITED
Hoghistory- www.groundhog.org/history/tradition
Brownielocks- www.brownielocks.com/groundhog.html
Officially celebrated on February 2nd, Groundhog Day is also known as Candlemas. This holiday is an observance of the Law of Moses, which stated that parents had to bring in their first born son to church and offer him to God after the child was forty days old. By “offering” one’s child, the parent or parents were baptizing and showing their God they had full faith and will pass on this faith to their children. On this day, it is believed that the Virgin Mary brought baby Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem and offered him to God (add forty days to December 15th and you get February 2nd). It is said that when Jesus was presented to God, an old Jew named Simon held him in his arms and said the baby would be “A light to lighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). This quote could be a comparison to light bearing candles, therefore leading to the name Candlemas.
Despite these teachings in the Bible, there are some who believe that this procession with candles dates back to the Roman times, contradicting the belief that the Christians first celebrated with a candle procession. The Roman holiday, called Lupercalia, was celebrated on February 15th to honor the goddess Ceres. This holiday called for a candlelight procession, to honor the believed search the goddess took around Sicily to find her lost daughter, using torchlight. When the Christians attempted to Christianize the Romans, they borrowed their tradition of using candles in celebration. In the Middle Ages, the candles were blessed on Candlemas, and believed to chase away bad spirits throughout the year. Even the unused candle stubs were saved because they were thought to be good luck charms. Candles were looked upon in such a way because there was no electricity, and people were completely dependant on them for light in winter and at night. In modern Roman Catholic countries, there are still celebrations for Candlemas. These candles are believed to have special powers, and are to be used during times of illness, weddings, funerals, and other gatherings (hoghistory).
But what do Candlemas and groundhogs have in common? Dating back to the medieval times, it was believed that hibernating animals (not just groundhogs) would come out of their holes on Candlemas to check on the weather, calling these animals Candlemas Bears. These Candlemas Bears could be groundhogs, hedgehogs or badgers, depending on which country is celebrating the day. This custom was brought to the United States by German settlers, and they chose the groundhog as their Candlemas Bear. The US tradition was derived from not only the German Settlers, but also the Scottish poem:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop (brownielocks)
Our most famous Candlemas Bear in the United States is Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog believed to be a century old. This animal is so legendary to some, that he has a heated burrow on a stage area with a fake tree. Phil has been so revered, that he has been on multiple television shows, has met President Reagan, and even has his own website complete with webcam. Phil even had troops assigned to protect him in February 2002, after the attack on September 11th. Why he is so revered is confusing though, considering Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct 28% of the time, since his first shadow in 1887 (brownielocks). Perhaps it’s just people’s undying love to uphold tradition, or maybe it’s because people truly believe this animal is a century old and can tell the future. Either way, in my cynical opinion, I believe there are more important things to worry about than a groundhog’s shadow-watching weather prediction that isn’t even correct half the time.
In conclusion, regardless of how it began (Roman vs. Christian beginnings) or why we continue to celebrate such a day, Groundhog Day has brought not only a really good movie, but also a tradition in which we have blended German, Scottish and other cultures to create our own, unique holiday. The fact that we are still celebrating such a holiday is impressive to me. Despite Punxsutawney Phil’s inability to accurately predict the weather, we still watch with eager eyes, to see what this small animal will see when he awakens from his hibernation every February 2nd.
WORKS CITED
Hoghistory- www.groundhog.org/history/tradition
Brownielocks- www.brownielocks.com/groundhog.html
posted by kristinlamb at
7:19 PM
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