Groundhog Day has been around since 1887, and its traditions go back much further than that. As the lore goes, if it is cloudy when Punxsutawney Phil of rural Pennsylvania emerges from his burrow on February 2, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, he'll see his shadow - meaning winter weather will persist for six more weeks.
What happens on Groundhog Day is a variation on weather lore practiced by ancient peoples for thousands of years, and brought to America by German immigrants. Phil himself has a rich folklore surrounding him, from the "elixir of life" that gives him immortality, to the friendly rivalry he has with the many other weather-divining groundhogs out there. His handlers supposedly keep him safe, and can communicate with him in his language.
If it all sounds a bit silly, well, it is. But Groundhog Day facts aren't about cold hard truth - they're about upholding an ancient tradition and celebrating the coming of spring. Here are some of the most unusual things about this odd holiday.
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Ancient Europeans Were All About Animals Predicting Their Weather
The modern Groundhog Day has its roots in ancient European weather folklore. With no accurate way to predict temperature and rain, Middle Ages farmers used everything from the halo of the moon to the positioning of cows tails. Animals were part of this, and these people would often rely on checking the shadow of a badger or sacred bear to see if winter would drag on.
Phil Inspired a Truly Disgusting 1880s Cocktail
The gimmick of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who can predict if winter will end quickly or linger for six more weeks, caught fire. Within a few years, the small local Groundhog Club expanded into a national curiosity. In response to this, they stopped eating groundhog, and also ditched their cocktail of choice, a "groundhog punch" that contained vodka, milk, eggs, orange juice, “and other ingredients."
According to Legend, Phil Speaks His Own Language
So how does one know a groundhog has seen its shadow? In the case of Phil, he communicates directly with the Inner Circle president in "groundhogese" - a tongue that only Phil and the president can speak.
In reality, the Inner Circle decides ahead of time, based on the weather, if Phil will see his shadow. Who says politics isn't rigged?
1887 Was Punxsutawney Phil's Debut as a Weather Predictor
In 1887, centuries of unofficial traditions came together for the first Groundhog Day celebrated in the traditional Groundhog Day capital of Punxsutawney, PA. The town had the usual German groundhog festival, which included eating the animal as a delicacy. The editor of the town's paper, Clymer H. Freas, declared that the town's local rodent, whom he named Punxsutawney Phil, was the world's only true weather predictor.
A small crowd gathered at the top of Gobbler's Knob, a small hill outside the small town, to celebrate the little fella's emergence out of the ground, and to check if he saw his shadow. He did that year, incidentally.
German Immigrants Brought Weather Divining Rodents to America
It's likely that the modern Groundhog Day tradition came with German immigrants in the 18th century. Weather lore was still popular in Germany around this time, with a typical "German farmers rule" reading something like:
"If the badger is in the sun at Candlemas, he will have to go back into his hole for another four weeks."
When these German farmers settled on the East Coast, they brought their weather lore with them, but groundhogs were much more plentiful than badgers, hedgehogs, and bears. So the groundhog became the prognosticating animal of choice. The first recorded reference to a February 2 "Groundhog Day" is from 1841.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Doesn't Mess Around
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle takes its role in popularizing Groundhog Day very seriously. They take care of Phil for the entire year, plan each year’s big ceremony in Punxsutawney, and when it's time for Phil to appear, they go all out, wearing top hats and tuxedos for each ceremony.
There are 15 Inner Circle members and each has a nickname that vaguely comports to their non-Groundhog Day real world occupation. Among them are longtime president Bill Deeley, his "Protector" (from whom???), Iceman, Thunder Conductor, and The Big Windmaker. Don't mess with these guys.
Punxsutawney Phil Is Immortal - Thanks to Drinking the Loch Ness Monster's Pee
The Inner Circle's lore states that Punxsutawney Phil is the same groundhog from year to year, all the way back to 1887. How does a rodent that doesn't usually make it a decade live for over a century? Chalk it up to a magic Elixir of Life that he takes a sip of every seven years, a magical brew containing a variety of herbs and fruits, ice from Antarctica, and the urine of the Loch Ness Monster.
Dozens of Other Imposter Groundhogs Predict the Weather
In keeping with its European origins, there are countless other groundhogs and rodents that see their shadows and predict if winter will end or continue, most of them on the East Coast or in Canada. New York City has a yearly Groundhog Day event at the Staten Island Zoo featuring Staten Island Chuck (aka Charles G. Hogg).
There were almost three dozen others in 2015 alone, from Chesapeake Chuck to Nibbles to Dover Doug and Sir Walter Wally. Not to mention an annual event in Woodstock, IL, where the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day was shot.
Their predictions were pretty much split down the middle. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle considers these other groundhogs usurpers to Phil's throne as sole prognosticator of weather.
Phil Gets Cranky If He Can't Have a Drink
Legend has it that during Prohibition, Phil was so incensed at being kept away from his booze that he threatened the people with a staggering 60 weeks of winter - unless he was allowed to have a drink.
Groundhog Day Has Both Pagan and Christian Elements
Groundhog Day is likely an extension of the Christian holiday Candlemas, which was held on February 2, 40 days after the traditional birth of Christ. But like Christmas and Easter, Groundhog Day also has an element of pagan ritual to it.
Specifically, it echoes the Celtic pagan holiday of Imbolc (pronounced "i-MOLG"), also celebrated on February 2, and serving as the traditional halfway point of winter. The festivities had an element of weather divination, often using the shadow of an animal burrowing up from the ground to predict if spring would come early. Then there was drinking and dancing around a fire.