While the legendary groundhog made his prediction, thousands of his biggest fans cheered for him. Groundhog Day is rooted in the Christian holiday, Candlemas which is the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. During Candlemas, Christians historically would take the time to light candles predicting how long winter would last.
The first official Groundhog Day was held Feb. 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennylvania. Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2 every year.
According to www.cincinnati.com, “Groundhog Day is not a federal holiday, so banks, mail and trash services, schools, grocery stores, federal offices, local governments, libraries and stock markets are all typically open.”
Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow outside his home, predicting six more weeks of winter.
According to statistics compiled by Stormfax Weather Almanac, which tracks Phil’s predictions, the groundhog has guessed the weather correctly only 39 percent of the time since the tradition began. Although there are nine years of records missing from the total number of celebrations, that figure might not sway the count in the animals’ favor.
Nevertheless, Punxsutawney swears the groundhog is correct 100% of the time.
This tradition is appreciated by some students of Eagle High.
“I think it’s a cute tradition. It’s kind of cool to look at what the groundhog has to say,” said junior Maddie Vallez.
Groundhog Day is a tradition enjoyed by many across the United States.
