Romancing Groundhog Day by Sarah Raplee

BONUS: Popup Groundhog Cookie Recipe from She Knows Expert Sandra Denneler at
https://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/982437/pop-up-groundhog-cookie-recipe/

Today is Groundhog Day in the United States, Canada and Germany. I am inspired by Punxsutawney Phil, “Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary''—not to mention the latest in a long line of rodents to star in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania’s annual Groundhog Day Festival—to investigate all things groundhog, including Groundhog Day, and generously share the most entertaining bits with you.

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Phil weighs in at 15 pounds! They are multi-talented marmots that live in burrows underground, but are able to climb trees and swim. They eat voraciously during the warmer months and hibernate through the winter.

According to the Stormfax®Weather Almanac, Groundhog Day has its roots in the Celtic Pagan celebration of Imbolc, which marks the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. People believed if the weather was fair at Imbolc, the second half of winter would be cold and stormy. Early European Christians replaced Imbolc with Candlemas Day, when priests would bless candles and give them to the people in the dark of winter to bring blessings to their homes. A lighted candle would be placed in each window of the house. If the sun came out on Candlemas Day, there would be six more weeks of winter. Early German settlers brought the traditions of Candlemas Day to North America.

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,

There'll be two winters in the year.

(Scottish saying)

If the sun shone on Candlemas, animals would cast shadows, indicating six more weeks of winter. In Germany, people watched hedgehogs or badgers. German immigrants in Pennsylvania chose to watch groundhogs, who awoke at mid-winter from hibernation.

On February 2nd, 1886, the editor of The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper in the eponymous Pennsylvania town, Clymer Freas, reported: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow.” The animal was named Punxsutawney Phil, “Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.''

A star was born.