The first Groundhog Day celebration in 1887.
On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent
meteorologist, was celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s
Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The idea originated with Clymer Freas, a local newspaper
editor who declared Punxsutawney Phil as the nation’s
official weather forecaster.
According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole
on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs
back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter
weather; no shadow means an early spring.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition
of Candlemas (below) when clergy would bless and distribute
candles needed for winter.