Okay, this has nothing to do with books or writing, but I have to give a plug to my hometown groundhog today. French Creek Freddie is a resident of the West Virginia Wildlife Center located not far from our family farm. We called it The Game Farm back then. They’ll be waking Freddie up this morning so he can (reluctantly) check for his shadow.
Today is also Candlemas, a Christian holiday celebrating the day Jesus was presented at the Temple after Mary’s 40-day time of purification. Simeon held Jesus in his arms and called him, “The Light of the World.” Hence, Candlemas. It was tradition to take candles to the church to be blessed for use throughout the year.
Of course, we can’t take a Christian holiday and not fiddle with it. So some pagan traditions slipped in, including a superstition that if the sun came out on Candlemas, thought of as winter’s halfway mark, it meant another six weeks of winter. Conversely, an overcast day predicted an early spring.
An Old English saying goes like this:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
So how did the groundhog get tied into that? Well, there’s this entry from Berks County Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris’ diary dated 2/4/1841:
“Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks of nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”
Freddie has been checking for his shadow since 1978 (presumably several Freddies). And he’s not the only one. Here’s a list of other groundhogs around the nation:
-
Punxsutawney Phil: Pennsylvania
- Buckeye Chuck: Ohio’s official groundhog
- Staten Island Chuck: The Staten Island zoo
- Smith Lake Jake: Birmingham, AL
- General Beauregard Lee: Stone Mountain, Ga.
- Octorara Orphie: Lancaster, Pa.’s
- Dunkirk Dave: Dunkirk, NY
- Woodstock Willie: Woodstock, IL
- Malverne Mel: Malverne, NY
- Jimmy The Groundhog: Sun Praire, WI
- Stormy Marmot: Aurura, CO
So how about you? How much store will you put in today’s weatherful predictions?
Do we take the average of all the Freddie shadow results to determine true spring? I had no idea of the true connontation–fascinating
That’s a good idea! We already have a mixed bag this morning. And I think we should give more weight to the early spring forecasts 😉
Yes, indeed. Especially since it started snowing again.
Very interesting. I’d never heard of Candlemas day. Thanks Sarah.
It was new for me, too–love learning stuff like this.
General Lee is located in Stone Mountain, Georgia…not UGA. He lives at the Yellow River Game Ranch!
Thanks for the correction, Velva!