Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Question: Groundhog Day grew out of what ancient Christian holiday, observed at winter’s midpoint?

Answer: Candlemas. Folk tradition held that clear skies on Candlemas meant more winter ahead. German immigrants, the Pennsylvania Dutch, carried the custom to Pennsylvania, swapping Europe’s badger or hedgehog for the plentiful groundhog and giving rise to the first Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob in 1887.