Groundhog Day is a very popular holiday around the world, but more so in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It is celebrated on February 2^nd in both the United States and Canada. Many people wait to hear the news if the groundhog has seen his shadow.  If the groundhog happens to see his shadow it is supposed to mean that winter will stick around for another 6 weeks. If however he doesn’t see his shadow it means we will have an early spring.

Every year people from all over await the news to find out if winter will stick around or spring will begin early. The largest Groundhog day celebration is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where Punxsutawney Phil is pulled from his burrow early on the morning of February 2^nd. Crowds in upwards of 40,000 people gather to see Phil’s prediction.

Ground Hog Day originally began in the 18^th and 19^th centuries as a Pennsylvania German custom, but has origins in European weather folklore, where a sacred bear was supposed to symbolize the Groundhog. The first celebration of Ground Hogs Day dates back to 1723 when Delaware Indians settled in what is now Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When the German settlers arrived in the 1700s they brought with them their tradition known as Candlemas Day, which is an early form of Ground Hogs Day. On February 4^th, 1841 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the first written reference to our now Ground Hogs Day was made by a shopkeeper.

One of the biggest things you will notice is all the Ground Hog memorabilia that can be purchased during and after the event. Many shops in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania carry the ground hog merchandise. You can definitely tell you are in the Ground Hog town when arriving in Punxsutawney with the many Punxsutawney Phil statues placed in front of many popular businesses and stores.

There are many different locations outside of the state of Pennsylvania that Ground Hog’s Day is celebrated as well. Those locations include Frederick, and Hagerstown in Maryland, Woodstock, Illinois, Wiarton, Ontario, and many other locations around the globe.  A Ground Hog Day study suggests that the groundhogs have been between 75%-90% accurate on their predictions with the weather. Young and old alike agree that Ground Hogs Day is a great tradition that gets them a little bit excited at the beginning of February to see if spring will make an early appearance.