Groundhog Day Holiday

Table of Contents


• Pictures of Groundhogs

• History of Groundhog Day

• Squixutawny Syd

• "Is it that time yet?!"

• Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle

• Is it a Woodchuck, A Groundhog, A Marmot...

• A Question From Our Guestbook

• YouTube Groundhog Day Videos

• Facts About Groundhogs

• Past President of the Groundhog Club

• Heathen Sacrilege!

• My Connection With Groundhog Day

• Location of Punxsutawney, PA

• How to Cook A Groundhog: A Recipe

• Famous Weather Forecasting Groundhogs

• The Groundhog Wars

• Groundhog Day is in My Blood

• Guestbook

Punxsutawney is a tiny town in the foothills of Western Pennsylvania. It was named by Indians for a vicious sandfly that caused them to avoid the area. In the 1800's, it saw a coal boom and the population swelled to 10,000. It has declined even as its fame grew as the home of the Punxsutawney Groundhog. The legend of the Groundhog as a weather prophet came from Europe, along with the immigrants who worked in the coal mines. As the custom went, an astute local news editor tied the legend to the large number of groundhogs in the area and as they say, a star was born.

Although considered a Northern American holiday by many, Groundhog Day has very deep roots. It evolved out of the the medieval Christian festival of Candlemas which commemorated the purification of Mary after the birth of Christ, and the ancient pagan fertility celebration St. Brigid's Day (St. Bridget's Day).

Candlemas Day and its pagan predecessor St. Brigid's Day fall between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and mark the midpoint of winter.

It was customary for the Europeans to watch for the the hedgehog to come out of hibernation every February 2nd. As the legend goes, if the the hedgehog saw its shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter weather. If not, spring was around the corner. When these immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania, the groundhog was simply substituted for the hedgehog.

SquidArt "Squixutawny Syd at Squibbler's Nib"
Graphics by Steve Thompson at TagsForKids

Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is a rare experience. If you're planning on attending or simply wanting to know more about Gobbler's Knob, the Groundhog Day Celebration and the Schedule of Events, please click here: GROUNDHOG DAY

It's ALL of the above! However, it is not a beaver and therefore cannot chuck wood.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

According to naturalists at Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina, a groundhog could eat about 700 pounds! The information is based on data taken by a wildlife biologist who measured the inside volume of a typical groundhog borrow. He estimated that if wood were exchanged for dirt, that the amount would be roughly 700 pounds! More info can be found here: Frequently Asked Groundhog Questions

Merre asked the following:

Punxsutawney Phil is the greatest! I was wondering if he were single? I heard he was involved with a groundhog named Philamena or Phyllis or something like that. Can you tell me if this is true?

Merre, thank you for your comment and for asking about Punxsutawney Phil's private life. According the the annals, Phil's first wife "Phyllis" died in 1978. Note: Phil is over 125 years old and going strong! His longevitiy and forecasting abilities are a true gift, but I imagine it must be hard on him to watch his beloved mates grow old and die. ~ His current wife is named "Phyllis" (as was his first wife). They are living right in town and are reported to be very happy together.

Spirituality raised the question:

Does the US and Canada REALLY have a national holiday based on whether the weather will be more of winter or not?

Thanks for your question Spirituality! Groundhog Day isn't a national holiday, although it is noted on most of the current US calendars and I believe it's on the Canadian calendars as well. A few years ago it was even written up in the US Congressional Record.*

Groundhog Day is more of a local holiday that's gotten national media attention through the years. It's offbeat and fun, and is a natural "plug-in" for the media weather forecasts.

When the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray was launched, an even brighter spotlight was on Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The year following the launch of the movie saw 40,000 Groundhog Day visitors to the town of Punxsutawney, which has a population between 6,000 and 7,000 people.


*When I inquired more about the significance of this "important historical fact," I was told it it simply meant that someone in Congress thought it was a story of interest.

The average groundhog is 17 to 26 inches long and can weigh anywhere from 7 to 14 pounds. Groundhogs are rodents and are members of the squirrel family. They are clean living herbivores. Clover and alfalfa are their favorite foods.

Groundhogs also adore fruits and vegetables, which is why many garden owners refer to them as pests. One reason groundhogs are abundant is that they are immune to the plague and to many diseases. They love cleanliness and their burrows even include bathrooms!

The groundhog typically digs 2 "homes" or burrows every year - one for summer and one for winter. Each groundhog burrow has two or more chambers. One is their sleeping area which they cover in soft grasses, and the other one is used as a bathroom. Some borrows also have a food storage chamber, and an extra escape route in case they need it.The winter burrows often have a chamber for giving birth.

Groundhogs are warm blooded. Hibernation begins in mid October. During hibernation, their temperature drops from 97 degrees Fahrenheit to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. During this period of rest, they take one breath every six minutes. The groundhog's internal clock wakes him up in early February (except for the groundhogs living in colder areas who sleep in until early March). By the time they emerge, they have lost half of their weight.

Groundhogs have a lifespan of three to five years. Punxsutawney Phil is the exception to the rule. He has been forecasting the weather for over 125 years.

Past President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Sam Light, chats with Phil in "Groundhogese" before announcing Phil's forecast to the awaiting world.
Photo complements of the Light Family

My father was President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club before I came into this world. His "reign" was the early 50s until 1975 or 1976. It was the advent of radio and television, and, my father, who loved the attention of an audience and was something of a George Burns character, added the top hat and tails, and demanded that the Groundhog be toasted and not roasted.

It helped that the Punxsutawney Groundhog was right about the weather 90% of the time, which was a much higher ratio than the weathermen from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia could claim. Whether it was Phil's prophetic ability to predict the weather or the arthritis in dad's big toe, it worked.

It was the late 1800s. The world was different than it is today. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was made up of a group of local hunters and gourmets. Back then the Groundhog was roasted instead of toasted. He was hunted in late summer and on February 2nd, a stag picnic was held consisting of barbecued groundhog, corn on the cob and locally brewed beer.

I've been told that groundhog tastes much like rabbit. I revere the Groundhog and I would not eat this cute vegetarian critter, nor would I eat any of his relatives. Still, I post this gourmet recipe for your perusal.

Clean
and dress an 8-10 pound groundhog. Be sure to remove the 7 to 9 white muscle-like sacs that are under the front legs and the small of the back. Cut in serving pieces and soak overnight in salted water.

Boil the cleaned groundhog 1/2 hour in water seasoned with 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon soda. Drain well.

Dredge meat in mixture of salt, pepper and paprika. Fry out some bacon and salt pork and sear meat in the rendered fat until it is well browned on all sides. Place meat in roaster with the drippings. Add 2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped onion, 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley, celery and carrots, 6 peppercorns, crushed, 2 cloves, 1 teaspoon thyme and salt to taste. Cover meat with 2 cups red wine and 2 cups beef stock (bouillon).

Roast, covered, 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit until meat is tender, adding more beef stock as needed to prevent meat from becoming dry. About 1/2 hour before meat is done, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Thanks goes to my mother, Elaine Light and her cookbook "Cooking With the Groundhog" for this recipe

On February 2nd, a select group of enlightened groundhogs with highly advanced prognosticating abilities (meaning they can foretell future local weather conditions), will awaken from their sleep (winter hibernation) and let the world know what the next six weeks of weather will bring.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies and elder statesman is Punxsutawney Phil from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who has been reining strong for for 125 years!

Octoraro Orphie from Quarryville, Pennsylvania has been predicting weather for 103 years.

Canada's Wiarton Willie is the only albino groundhog seer and he has an impeccable record. He has been correctly forecasting the weather for 55 years!

Dunkirk Dave, a talented groundhog from Western New York, got into the action in 1966.

Buckeye Chuck will give the official psychic weather reading from Marion, Ohio, where he's been presiding since the 1970s.

Staten Island Chuck aka Charles G. Hogg, hails from Staten Island, New York and has faithfully been fulfilling the role of chief meteorologist since 1981.

General Beauregard Lee from Libum, Georgia is rather new on the scene, having taken over for his uncle, the first General Lee who is now retired. Beauregard Lee is the first groundhog with honorary degrees. The General received honorary doctorates from the University of Georgia, where he was awarded "DWP, Doctor of Weather Prognostication" and Georgia State University, where he was awarded the prestigious "Doctor of Southern Groundology" degree.

Other notable weather predicting groundhogs are Balzac Billy, who hails from Alberta, Canada, Gary the Groundhog from Kleinburg, Ontario, and Shubenacadie Sam from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia.

Dress in style with a Groundhog Day Tie or T-Shirt!

I love creating art and doing all kinds of crafts. These designs for Groundhog Day can be found on a variety of products at my Zazzle store Aquavel.
If you are interested in a specific product shown, simply click on it.

Customize these Groundhog Day Mousepads!


Groundhog Day Mousepads from Aquavel's Gallery on Zazzle.

Ever since I can remember, there has been competition between Quarryville, PA and Punxsutawney, PA about Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney was the first town to celebrate Groundhog Day and have a resident seer whose predictions were accurate, and a few years later Quarryville got their own resident Groundhog. The bickering began. Quarryville felt that Punxsutawney Phil was getting far too much attention. I remember growing up in Punxsutawney and meeting people from Quarryville who would tell me "their" groundhog was better than Phil. I just went to their website and it said Phil was always seeking publicity and implied that made Quarryville's Orphia a better representative for Groundhog Day! I have a difficult time believing they are still feeling competitive towards "Phil." C'mon everyone! There's room enough for all. Let's end the groundhog wars and enjoy the day!

Ground Hog Day by Andrew Wyeth
Fine Art Print 22" x 22"

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Groundhog Day Mugs from Aquavel's Gallery on Zazzle.