You all might have heard about a day when a small creature called a groundhog opens itself up from its burrow and predicts the outcome of the year, cold winter, or blissful spring. It might be surprising, but many people don’t know the meaning and the origin of this day. What exactly is groundhog day then?
Well, it takes place on February 2nd each year. A creature called a woodchuck is supposed to foretell the weather for the next six weeks of the year. So basically they are little meteorologists. There are many things involved in the origin of this festivity, but they are not going to be covered in this article. It is just to explain basic and simple things for your curiosity to get stirred!
Here are some fun facts about this day!
- Germans started Groundhog Day
- This creature has proven to correctly predict the winter season
- When this day started, it actually involved people eating groundhogs (glad it didn’t stick around)
- Groundhogs are true hibernators! (They can “reduce their heartbeat to as little as five beats per minute as they hibernate through the winter months. They can drop their body temperature down to 41° Fahrenheit, and sleep right through those long, cold nights.”
- When the tradition started, it wasn’t a groundhog who was supposed to predict it, but actually a badger!
Works Cited:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g3215/groundhog-day-facts/