Emma Bynes
@emma_bynes4
This past Sunday, we celebrated probably the most useless of holidays – Groundhog Day.
Groundhog Day originated from the Christian holiday of Candlemas Day, which was designed to bring Christians warm blessings from their candles for the remainder of winter. Eventually, Germans had interpreted that if a hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a 6-week “second winter” full of bad weather.
When the Germans settled in the Pennsylvania area of the United States this tradition came with them – and they substituted the hedgehog for the relatives of Punxsutawney Phil.
Groundhogs are naturally very difficult to take care of. Former Lutz Children’s Museum (Conn.) volunteer Meghan Doherty attests to the intricate care they can require. “They enjoy burrowing so the exhibit is full of paper and wood that they can burrow into – this makes it hard to clean. They also eat quite a lot so they constantly need to be fed, however they are not friendly and often bite so it is difficult to take care of them and feed them. We only handle them with special gloves since they are extremely likely to bite.”
This year, Massachusetts state groundhog “Ms. G” saw her shadow and predicted that there would be six more weeks of cold weather – agreeing with Pennsylvania’s nationally acclaimed Punxsutawney Phil. However, Connecticut’s state groundhog “Chuckles”, who resides at the Lutz Museum, disagrees with his colleagues.
With the snow we’ve gotten this week, it looks like Ms. G and Phil were correct. The groundhogs’ frequent disagreements prove that there is no real “science” behind the predictions and make way too much of a spectacle around groundhogs, who clearly like to be left alone.
One thing that I’m sure all groundhogs around the world can agree on is that the experience of Groundhog Day can bring joy to children from all places — as 35 states hold a Groundhog Day celebration.
Doherty affectionately agrees, saying “I love the fact that even more kids can enjoy the groundhog day experience when there are multiple groundhogs to visit.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today