What do candles, woodchucks, and an early spring have in common? Why, Ground Hog Day, of course! That is the traditional day when a ground hog is supposed to predict how long winter will last. Can a ground hog really predict when winter will end? Probably not. Hundreds of years ago, February 2 was commonly known as Candlemass. It was an early Roman Catholic festival marking the time when Jesus might have been presented in the Temple of Jerusalem as a baby. It is thought that the Roman legions helped spread the festival throughout Europe. In England, they made up a song to help them remember what to look for on February 2 every year:
If Candlemass be fair and bright,
Come, winter, have another flight,
If Candlemass brings clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.
Europeans began to equate the weather with the badger. If the badger saw his shadow, it would mean six more weeks of winter. It was like having two winters. So, how did the badger become a ground hog? Some of the first settlers in the Pennsylvania area were German. They found large numbers of ground hogs. The animals reminded them of the badger in Europe because of the way they burrowed in the ground. That is how ground hogs came to be linked with February 2. Before the mid-twentieth century it was important for farmers to remember Ground Hog Day. They would probably have many kinds of animals that ate hay. February 2 was considered to be the middle of the winter. They could judge how well the hay supply was holding up. If they still had at least half of the hay left, they were in good shape. If there was less, they would have to cut back on the animals' feed so they could survive until the grass began growing again. So now we know why Ground Hog day came into existence, but have you ever wondered what a ground hog is? It's really a large rodent related to squirrels and beaver. Instead of living in trees or the water, though, the ground hog lives in the ground. They eat tender green plants that grow near their burrows. They are also known as woodchucks, whistle pigs, or marmots. While there are at least three famous ground hogs that predict the weather on February 2, only one is really famous. A Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the winter's end since 1886. The current one lives in a special climate controlled home in the Punxsutawney library. So, whether the day is bright or cloudy on February 2, you had better be wearing a coat. You can expect it to be cold a little bit longer. Even an early spring day can be chilly!
Europeans began to equate the weather with the badger. If the badger saw his shadow, it would mean six more weeks of winter. It was like having two winters. So, how did the badger become a ground hog? Some of the first settlers in the Pennsylvania area were German. They found large numbers of ground hogs. The animals reminded them of the badger in Europe because of the way they burrowed in the ground. That is how ground hogs came to be linked with February 2. Before the mid-twentieth century it was important for farmers to remember Ground Hog Day. They would probably have many kinds of animals that ate hay. February 2 was considered to be the middle of the winter. They could judge how well the hay supply was holding up. If they still had at least half of the hay left, they were in good shape. If there was less, they would have to cut back on the animals' feed so they could survive until the grass began growing again. So now we know why Ground Hog day came into existence, but have you ever wondered what a ground hog is? It's really a large rodent related to squirrels and beaver. Instead of living in trees or the water, though, the ground hog lives in the ground. They eat tender green plants that grow near their burrows. They are also known as woodchucks, whistle pigs, or marmots. While there are at least three famous ground hogs that predict the weather on February 2, only one is really famous. A Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the winter's end since 1886. The current one lives in a special climate controlled home in the Punxsutawney library. So, whether the day is bright or cloudy on February 2, you had better be wearing a coat. You can expect it to be cold a little bit longer. Even an early spring day can be chilly!
See you in class, teacher Silvia.
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