Groundhog Day: The Punxsutawney Origin

Every February second, cameras from around the world point at a hill outside Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, waiting for a groundhog. The tradition began here with German immigrants who brought a custom from the Old World. In Germany and other parts of central Europe, the weather on Candlemas, an ancient Christian festival in early February, was thought to predict how much winter remained.

If a hibernating animal emerged and saw its shadow, six more weeks of cold were coming. German settlers in Pennsylvania adapted the custom to the local groundhog, which somewhat resembles the European badger used in the original tradition. As early as eighteen eighty-six, Punxsutawney residents were observing the ceremony, and by eighteen ninety-nine they had organized the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

The groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, has since become arguably the most famous animal in the United States, a folk meteorologist with a global audience.