our beloved groundhog fortune-teller punxsutawney phil didn’t see his shadow today, which according to german folklore means we will be seeing an early spring this year rather than six additional weeks of winter. it’s interesting that he has not seen his shadow only 15 times compared to the 96 times he has and predicted a longer winter. i never really understood where this whole tradition came from, which is kind of strange if you think about it (as with anything else i suppose). so i did a wiki-search and found the following information:
Around the fifth century, the European Celts believed that animals had certain supernatural powers on special days that were half-way between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Folklore from Germany and France indicated that when marmots and bears came out of their winter dens too early, they were frightened by their shadow and retreated back inside for four to six weeks. This may have been adopted by the Romans as Hedgehog Day. In Scotland the hedgehog has long been revered for its healing powers (as referenced in Robert Burns’ Ode to a Hedgehog).
The earliest known American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania. The reference was made Feb. 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks County, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris’ diary: “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”
it’s possible that spring will arrive early, especially after the brutal cold upper level pattern currently in place for the next couple of weeks will begin breaking down towards the end of this month. this cold weather can’t hold for much longer!