Imagine the sounds of birds chirping, icicles dripping, and crickets buzzing:  the sounds of spring. With Groundhog Day’s success, spring is on its way early this year! Punxsutawney Phil, the notorious groundhog, woke up on February 2, 2024, and did not see his shadow. Exactly how long has this tradition been going on?

Groundhog Day originated from a European tradition called “Candlemas”. It was derived from a Christian celebration of the Virgin Mary presenting her son, Jesus, to God as her firstborn. This festival took place on February 2nd and has since then advanced into Groundhog Day. 

Ancient Germans, dating back to the early 1700s, celebrated the coming of spring by raising a badger and seeing if it saw its shadow or not. Similar to how we celebrate today, they believed that if the critter saw its shadow, then it would go back into hibernation and winter would advance. But if it did not see its shadow, spring would come sooner.

In 1887, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania held its first celebration of modern-day Groundhog Day. Clymer Freas, a newspaper editor, created Groundhog Day. He was a part of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, who was responsible for designating Punxsutawney Phil as the official groundhog used to predict the upcoming weather. In this event, a group of men called The Inner Circle dress in top hats and begin the trek to Gobblers Knob. This is supposedly the home of Phil.

But where is Punxsutawney Phil kept during the months outside of Groundhog Day? Year-round, Phil lives at The Groundhog Zoo. He has an enclosure known as “Phil’s Burrow”, built into the Punxsutawney library. Visitors can come to Pennsylvania and pay a visit to the famous groundhog while learning more about him and the history of the holiday.

Groundhog Day is not a federal holiday while kids still attend school on February 2nd. Although Punxsutawney Phil only has about a 40% accuracy rate, Americans still tune in with anticipation to see what the groundhog will predict. And it looks like this year, Phil predicts spring will come early!