Ever wonder who came up with the idea for Groundhog Day? Is February so bleak and void of meaning, so lacking in things to celebrate or observe that when someone suggested having a Groundhog Day people said, “Hey, let’s do it!” – or words to that effect.
I picture a bunch of guys sitting around a tavern or public house somewhere in Colonial America. As the snow piled up outside they wondered what to do.
At some point – after about the 10th or 12th pint – one of the blokes piped up and said, “Hey, how about we have a day dedicated to the groundhog or woodchuck?”
Someone else in the company then put down his tankard of ale and asked, “Did I hear you right? Did you say: ‘How about a day dedicated to the groundhog or woodchuck?’ A brilliant idea!”
All of this is conjecture, of course, because I’m not sure how Groundhog Day did develop and history books are a little vague about its origins. But somebody, somewhere had to be the first to suggest that Feb. 2 be known as Groundhog Day.
Most people don’t have strong feelings about Groundhog Day one way or the other, but residents of the small Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney make up for everyone else’s lack of excitement. The people of Punxsutawney go nuts about Groundhog Day in general and their native groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, in particular. Not having anything better to do, they celebrate Groundhog Day for days and attract more than 30,000 visitors to town who want to celebrate with them.
Punxsutawney is located at the site of an old Indian camping spot, strategically located between the Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers. The name comes from the Indian phrase “ponksad uteney,” which means “place of the sand fleas.” (At least two questions come to mind: Why would Indians want to camp at the “place of the sand fleas” and why would people later conclude that it would be a good place to build a town?)
Feb. 2 is located – more or less – between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox and since ancient times people in the Northern Hemisphere thought that should be observed in some way. Groundhog Day enthusiasts believe that if the day is clear and sunny and the groundhog casts a shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it’s cloudy, with no shadow, spring is on its way.
The day is known to some as Candlemas Day, a day when candles were blessed and put in windows. A Scottish aunt of mine from Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a rhyme about the day that went:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear
There’ll be two winters in the year.
Historians say the Romans brought the idea of Candlemas Day to the Northern Europeans and they brought it to America. In Europe, years ago, people thought that animals were great predictors of the weather. Hey, they couldn’t be worse than the people we have predicting it today, right? Anyway, the Europeans looked for signs of spring from the badger. Here in America we designated the groundhog, so he was given the task of predicting what weather lies ahead.
Speaking of parts, in 1993 Columbia Pictures filmed a movie titled “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray. In typical Hollywood fashion, producers decided that Punxsutawney, Pa., didn’t look enough like a Pennsylvania town or a town that would go nuts for groundhogs so – displaying the kind of wisdom Hollywood is famous for – they decided to film the movie in Woodstock, Ill., which most everyone agreed looks nothing like a Pennsylvania town.
In Maine, Groundhog Day passes without much notice. Any groundhog you see outside in Maine on Feb. 2 will probably be frozen stiff and deader than a doornail.
I’m not sure what kind of a prediction could be gotten from one of those.
John McDonald is the author of “A Moose and a Lobster Walk into a Bar,” “Down the road a piece,” “The Maine Dictionary” and “Nothin’ but Puffins.” Contact him at Mainestoryteller@yahoo.com.
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