Just For Kids

Will He See His Shadow?

by Jessica Gold

Okay, the fact is that we’ve been pretty lucky this winter. I’m writing this as flakes of the white stuff are falling from the sky and they’re predicting temperatures in the teens tomorrow. But that aside, we did have spring-like days straight through mid-January. Did anyone else notice the bulbs popping through the earth and buds forming on the trees? It was quite nice and hopefully spring is just right around the corner. We’ll know shortly. February second is fast approaching and the trusty groundhog is getting ready to do his duty and predict whether we’ll have six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

I’ve often wondered what meteorologists think about putting all those quality years of education on the backburner to let this cute little critter, looking shocked about being woken up from his warm sleep, do all the predicting as the news cameras flash. With everyone hanging on his every move, there’s lots of pressure on the little guy. Some years, he takes it well, other years he scurries away quickly. So now it’s 2007...will he see his shadow, or not?

Malverne Mel does his predicting from Long Island, Staten Island Stan in Staten Island, and Punxsutawney Phil does the predicting in Pennsylvania. Phil seems to be the most popular, getting a lot of media attention. He even has websites devoted to him. Punxsutawneyphil.com, is a great site that highlights the activities and events the Punxsutawney community is hosting leading up to the big day. They take this holiday very seriously in Punxsutawney. There are craft shows, concerts and even a lasagna dinner leading up that glorious moment on February second, when Phil comes out of his burrow. I hope that they save him some lasagna for all his hard work. The site also sells some clever souvenirs. For $16.95, you can purchase your own groundhog piggy bank, featuring a likeness of Punxsutawney Phil. For $16.00, you can purchase groundhog-shaped golf club covers. Your kids will love the groundhog frisbee and ornament, and for the chef in you, there is even a recipe book. Punxsutawney is literally “banking” on Phil.

I’ve often wondered about the history of this day. Did someone who saw a groundhog just come up with the concept? Did it originate in Pennsylvania? The tradition actually comes from the European tradition of Candlemas, also celebrated on February second. There was the idea that a sunny Candlemas Day would lead the winter to last for another six weeks. This tradition came to be associated with different folklore in each country. In Germany, the belief that an animal being frightened when seeing his shadow on Candlemas became another indicator that winter could possibly last for another six weeks. The hedgehog was the German animal of choice for the job.

Germans brought this tradition to America during the 18th Century. The American people then adopted the groundhog as their weather predictor…… and Phil and Mel became quite famous as a result. Groundhog Day officially came into being in North America during the late 1800s. Clymer H. Freas, a newspaper editor, and W. Smith, an American Congressman and newspaper publisher, combined efforts to make this day one that is marked yearly on the calendar. They organized and made popular the yearly festival in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day is also celebrated in Canada.

If you have a young child and would like to have them share in the fun of Groundhog Day, there are some wonderful books to read with them. Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts The Weather, by Bruce Koscieniak, is an adorable story about a groundhog who oversleeps. Wake Up, Groundhog, by Susan Korman, is a funny story about Gregory Groundhog, who is tired and just doesn’t want to get up to make his prediction. And giving female groundhogs a chance to be in the spotlight, the delightful book Gretchen Groundhog, It’s Your Day, by Abby Levine, tells the story of Gretchen, whose great uncle Gus is too old to do the job. Gretchen needs to fill in, but she is afraid. For the adults in the family, rent the funny film Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, make some lasagna (the Punxsutawney way) and celebrate February second with fun.

In the end, it all comes down to the little guy’s prediction as to whether we prep our lawnmower for cutting grass or our snowblower for knocking down drifts. Stay tuned to find out what Phil, Stan and Mel have in store for us.