Groundhog Day is a holiday that everyone learned about since kindergarten, but do you know what it actually is? Groundhog Day always lands on February 2nd and has been since it first began in 1877 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This year, in 2024, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow: meaning there will be an early spring instead of a longer winter.
The tradition of Groundhog Day started on February 2, 1877 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BCC), “It goes back to a pre-Christian tradition of looking forward to spring” where they would look at animal hibernation for the knowledge of a shorter or longer winter. Groundhog Day is also linked to the Christian celebration of Candlemas Day in Europe, as stated by National Broadcasting Company (NBC) 10 Philadelphia.
According to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) News since 1887 Groundhog Day has been frequently inconsistent. CBS goes on to further claim that out of every seven times that Phil sees his shadow, he is only correct once. Then how accurate can a groundhog be, anyway? Many people do believe in Groundhog Day despite this statistic. As per a survey conducted by OnePoll, 52% of adults believe that the groundhog does have an impact on whether we have a longer or shorter winter.
Sophomore Taylor Gutowski believes that Groundhog Day is not reliable because, “How can I predict the weather, that just does not make sense.” Research also backs up this point as the groundhogs have only been right 30% of the time, according to The Inquirer. On the other hand, sophomore Carmella Calderaro states, “The groundhog has been around a lot longer than I have so it must be the truth.”
In total, there have been 75 groundhogs in America and Canada. The top groundhog, as of now, with a whopping lead is Punxsutawney Phil with a total of 129 predictions, his predictions outnumber the groundhog before him (Octoraro Orphie) with 91 predictions. Octoraro Orphie is a taxidermied groundhog which may lead to some possible limitations when compared to Punxsutawney Phil. Third, with a total of 61 predictions, is a groundhog from Ontario, Canada named Wiarton Willie. Wiarton Willie is Canada’s most famous groundhog and he is a species of white groundhog, unlike the previous groundhogs that have been mentioned.
Overall, Groundhog Day may not be accurate but seeing a groundhog (taxidermied or not) predict the weather is an interesting holiday that will be sure to stick around. As the weeks go by, think to yourself “Was Punxsutawney Phil right?” and keep track of the weather to see for yourself. From childhood to adulthood Groundhog Day will always be an important part of the winter months as we anticipate a longer spring or even a longer winter.
