The Shadow Knows

In a country full of bizarre superstitions, Groundhog Day is — to me, at least — one of the most bizarre, if harmless, rites. On February 2, people gather in various towns in the Northeast to see the groundhog come out to look for its shadow. A shadow means a sunny day and is supposed to indicated that winter will continue for six weeks more. No shadow means that spring will come early.

Yeah, despite the millions spent on training and equipping meteorologist, some insist on looking to rodents for weather advice.

The origin of this ritual is disputed. Some claim that it has been celebrated in Middlesbrough, England for roughly 1000 years, but this seems unlikely: groundhogs live on in North America. The earliest reference in USAmerican history dates from 1841: A storekeeper in Berks County, Pennsylvania traces the practice to German settlers, but there is no corresponding observance in Germany.

The best thing, though, is that practically no one takes the groundhog’s prediction seriously. It’s mostly just an excuse to have a good time, something else that USAmericans have a lot of.