Groundhog's Day

Every February 2, people gather nationwide to discover if spring is coming or if they will endure another six weeks of winter. More than 20,000 people flock to Punxsutawney Pennsylvania to celebrate the holiday, and millions more watch on TV. Groundhog’s Day has roots in Native American lore, and the celebration actually predates the area’s first English settlers.

The area that is Punxsutawney today was first settled by the Delaware Indians. It served as a campsite between two rivers, and it was home to tribes that moved through the area. According to the creation myth of the Delaware Indians, their ancestors began their lives as animals before eventually emerging as humans. The woodchuck was recognized as the grandfather of the area’s earliest inhabitants. This legend persisted through centuries contributing to the rise of Groundhog’s Day lore.

When the colonists came, the Delaware Indians were forced to share their land. They helped the colonists learn to hunt, plant, and live off the land. However, by the early 1800’s, the tribes had largely vacated the area. Despite their absence, the legend of the woodchuck lived on among the colonists who adopted the story into their own traditions.

The Groundhog’s Day celebration has taken place since 1887, and it begins before sunrise on February 2. Each year, Phil (the groundhog) predicts whether spring is near or winter will remain. If he sees his shadow, he is startled back into his hole for another six weeks of winter. If he does not, then spring has arrived. Members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle oversee the festival and tend to Phil year round.

Little did early settlers know when they integrated Native traditions with their own that the celebration would evolve into the popular gathering it is today. Much of the longstanding history of Punxsutawney has been preserved in this tradition. Stemming from the lore of the land’s first inhabitants, the celebration of Groundhog Day is famed across the nation and remains at the heart of Punxsutawney.

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