1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: a show that demystifies history one day at a time. 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're tracing the roots of 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: a holiday devoted to nature's most unlikely meteorologist, the cuddly 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: and supposedly clairvoyant groundhog. The day was February second, seven. 7 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: Groundhog Day was celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's 8 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: Knob in punk Satawny, Pennsylvania. The unusual holiday is centered 9 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: on the emergence of a groundhog, also known as a 10 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: woodchuck or whistle pig, from its burrow. What the animal 11 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: does next is said to predict the weather for the 12 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: following six weeks. According to tradition, if the groundhog, who 13 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: is always known as Phil, comes out of his hole 14 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: and sees his shadow, then there will be six more 15 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: weeks of winter weather. However, if he doesn't notice his shadow, 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: that means spring will come early that year. You might 17 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: be wondering how someone could tell whether a rodent has 18 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: seen its own shadow or not. Well, it's usually assumed 19 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: if Phil gets scared and runs back inside his burrow, 20 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: but the easiest way to know for sure is to 21 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: ask him directly. According to the official punks Atawny Groundhog Club, 22 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: Phil speaks a secret language called what else groundhog ease. 23 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: This is how he communicates whether or not he's glimpsed 24 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: his shadow. From there, it's the job of the club 25 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: president to translate the answer and announce it to the world. 26 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: Because the traditions of Groundhog Day are so specific and 27 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: so procure Julier, you might assume that the people of 28 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: punk Satani made it all up themselves. The town is 29 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: certainly responsible for popularizing the holiday, and the residents have 30 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: made some whimsical additions to the groundhog canon, like that 31 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: special language and a few others that will get to later. 32 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: But many elements of the celebration have much longer and 33 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: broader histories. For example, consider the date February second. It's 34 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: no coincidence that it falls roughly halfway between the winter 35 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: solstice and the spring equinox. The beginning of February is 36 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: the turning point of the season, meaning that whether the 37 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: groundhog sees a shadow or not, there's technically still six 38 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: and a half more weeks of winter to go. Many 39 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: ancient cultures placed deep significance on this time of the year. 40 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: The Celts, for example, viewed it as a time to 41 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: observe and celebrate the coming change in weather, something they 42 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: look forward to as it would bring the birth of 43 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: new livestock and the chance to plant crops. To them, 44 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: early February was the true beginning of spring. They marked 45 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: the occasion with a two day festival known as im Bulk, 46 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: an old Irish term that means in the belly and 47 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: refers to the breeding cycle of sheep. That holiday was 48 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: celebrated by burning lamps and lighting bonfires and tribute to Brigide, 49 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: one of the most powerful Celtic gods. Hundreds of years later, 50 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: Brigide was adopted into Christianity as Saint Brigide. The Church 51 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: then established February first as a feast day in her 52 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: honor as a way to replace the pagan holiday of 53 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: im Bulk. But remember in Bulk was a two day 54 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: affair that brings us to the other Christian substitute, the 55 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: holiday of Candleness. It was originally celebrated in fourth century 56 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: Greece as a feast day held on February second, harty 57 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: days after Christmas. Under Jewish law, there was a forty 58 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: day purification period after childbirth. Candle Miss was a way 59 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: to mark the end of that period for Mary, the 60 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: mother of Jesus. The main symbol of the holiday is 61 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: you guessed it, candles. This may be a holdover from 62 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: the holiday's tide at in Bulk, which was a fire festival, 63 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: but either way, candles were used to symbolize purity and 64 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: the return of light. Church clergy would bless and distribute 65 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: candles on this day as a way to guard against 66 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: the last cold, dark stretch of winter. The religious observation 67 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: of candle miss has nothing to do with forecasting the weather, 68 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: but informally the holiday quickly became associated with predicting how 69 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: the rest of the season would go. In Old English 70 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: folk song highlights this transition perfectly. It reads quote, if 71 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: candle miss be fair and bright, come winter, have another flight. 72 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: If candle miss brings clouds and rain, go winter and 73 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: come not again. So for many pre industrial societies, whether 74 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: you were religious or not, and no matter what you 75 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,679 Speaker 1: called it, the midwinter date of February second became linked 76 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: to weather forecasting. It makes sense that Europeans would find 77 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: the prospect appealing. It was a good opportunity to take 78 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: stock of supplies and figure out if you had enough 79 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: food and firewood to last until spring. If you determine 80 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: that you didn't have enough, you'd probably take any sign 81 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: of an early spring that you could get. It wouldn't 82 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: make your food last any longer, but at least it 83 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: might give you a little piece of mind. One sign 84 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: of spring that Europeans looked for was the emergence of 85 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: hibernating mammals. Some Eastern European countries took their cues from bears. 86 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: In France, people kept an eye out for marmots, a 87 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: large ground squirrel and a relative of the groundhog. In England, 88 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: the appearance of the hedgehog was a good omen that 89 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: spring would soon arrive, and in Germany the badger became 90 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: the people's herald of spring. In all of these cases, 91 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: people believed that if the day was sunny and the 92 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: animals saw its shadow, it meant another forty days of 93 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: winter weather. If, however, the day was cloudy and the 94 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: animal couldn't see its shadow, that was a sign that 95 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: spring would arrive sooner. That might sound backwards, but when 96 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: you're talking about using animal shadows to predict the weather, 97 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: clear cut logic doesn't really apply. As for how the 98 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: practice led to Groundhog Day, we have the Pennsylvania Dutch 99 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: to thank for that. They brought many German customs to 100 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: the United States, including the interpretation of sun and shadows 101 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,799 Speaker 1: on candle miss a k A. Badger Day. The only 102 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: problem was there weren't any badgers in the Eastern United States. However, 103 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: there were plenty of groundhogs, and since rodents emerged from 104 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: hibernation around the same time, German immigrants started looking to 105 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: them for weather predictions instead. The first recorded reference to 106 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: groundhog Day in the United States was in eighteen forty one. 107 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: That's when James Morris of Morgantown, Pennsylvania wrote the following 108 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: entry in his diary, quote last Tuesday. The second was 109 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: candle miss Day, the day on which, according to the Germans, 110 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: the groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if 111 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: he sees his shadow, he pops back for another six 112 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy, he remains 113 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: out as the weather is to be moderate. This somewhat 114 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: isolated tradition was later adopted by much of the US, 115 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: but the most famous and elaborate celebration is still found 116 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania. In eighteen eighty six, the punk s Attawny 117 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: Spirit newspaper printed the first news of a Groundhog Day observance, 118 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: but there was still no public consensus on whether there 119 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: would be an early spring or not, for there was 120 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: not one official groundhog to go by the next year, 121 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty seven, the newspapers editor decided to change that. 122 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: He organized a group of friends to form the punk's 123 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: Attawny Groundhog Club, and then went to a wooded area 124 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: two miles outside of town called Gobbler's Knob in search 125 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: of an official town groundhog. The hunters found one and 126 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: proudly proclaimed him the foremost weather predicting groundhog in the country. Unfortunately, 127 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: the little guy did see his shadow that year, meaning 128 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: that the townspeople would have to deal with another month 129 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: and a half of winter. The town was so charmed 130 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: by the newspapers report that the event was repeated from 131 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: then on, with more and more spectators turning out each 132 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: year to witness the emergence firsthand. The town groundhog was 133 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: first called Phil in nineteen sixty one, and the name 134 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: is stuck ever since. If you want to get scientific groundhogs, 135 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: go into hibernation in the late fall, and then emerge 136 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: from their burrows sometime in March. However, some groundhogs briefly 137 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: interrupt their naps in February, either to look for a 138 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: mate or to grab a snack before heading back underground 139 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:21,479 Speaker 1: for another few weeks. It's believed that whether a groundhog 140 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: emerges early or not is related to the amount of 141 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 1: body fat it was able to store before going into hibernation. 142 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: Of course, all true believers know that in Phil's case, 143 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: he emerges early to perform his civic duty and predict 144 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: the weather. In another instance of science trying to ruin 145 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: a good time, groundhogs are known to live only six 146 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: to eight years, but once again, the rules don't apply 147 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: to punks. The tawny Phil. Officially, there has only ever 148 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: been one Phil. His long life is due to a 149 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: magical groundhog punch that he's fed every summer at the 150 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: annual groundhog picnic. He's only given one sip at a time, 151 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: which allegedly extends his life by an additional seven years. 152 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: Presumably this one sip system is in place to ensure 153 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: that Phil doesn't abandon the town lest he lose his immortality. 154 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: If you're wondering who brews fills elixir of life. That 155 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,559 Speaker 1: would be the so called inner circle of the Punksutawny 156 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: Groundhog Club. The fifteen or so members also take care 157 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: of Phil for the rest of the year, in addition 158 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: to planning the annual ceremony, which they always attend wearing 159 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: top hats and tuxedos. When Phil's not busy predicting the weather, 160 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: he lives in the town library with his wife, Phillis. 161 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,559 Speaker 1: Over the years, animal rights activists have objected to the 162 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: yearly tradition, claiming that it puts Phil under undue stress. 163 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: It's been suggested that he should be replaced with a 164 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: robotic groundhog, a move that I would be okay with 165 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 1: if all, because it would make an already strange holiday 166 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: even stranger. Plus, and I don't mean to be rude, 167 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: but the biological Phil isn't all that good at predicting 168 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: the weather. Since eight seven, his accuracy rate has been 169 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: about thirty nine per cent. You could probably get better 170 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: results just by flipping a coin. To be fair, though, 171 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: the Groundhog Club doesn't dispute this spotty track record, but 172 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: they also don't think Phil should bear the blame. The 173 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: club stance is that just as Phil never dies, he's 174 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: never wrong about the weather either. His handlers maintain that 175 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: Phil's predictions are one percent accurate one percent of the time. 176 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: As for the years when his predictions didn't pan out, well, 177 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: those were due to the club president misinterpreting what Phil said. 178 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: You may not like that explanation, but on Groundhog Day, 179 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: it's the only one you're going to get, because, according 180 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: to the club, a point of the holiday, at least 181 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: as it stands today, is quote to take everything a 182 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: little less seriously and to break up the winter monotony, 183 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:14,719 Speaker 1: at least for a little while. I'm gay Bluesier and 184 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 185 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up 186 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,239 Speaker 1: with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 187 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t D I HC Show, and if 188 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, you can always send 189 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: them my way at this day at I heart media 190 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 191 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,719 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 192 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class. For more 193 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app 194 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.