Happy Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day...again, and that means we're going to talk about groundhogs and the history of Groundhog Day.  

History
Groundhog Day has it's origins in the Celtic festival Imbolc, which is a celebration of the beginning of spring.  It is typically held around February 1st (halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.)  One of the traditions of Imbolc is to watch for serpents and badgers to come out of hibernation as an indicator of whether spring weather would come early or not.

More recent history finds similarities between Groundhog Day and the Christian celebration of Candlemas, also known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  An old Scottish saying tells us, "If Candlemas day be bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year".  And an English poem declares, "If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight.  If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, winter will not come again".

Fun Facts
Of the 115 predictions on record, Phil has only predicted an early spring 15 times.

Phil's accuracy rate is only about 39%.

Since the 1993 movie, "Groundhog Day", attendance at the Punxsutawney event has expanded significantly.

Activities
I've compiled a list of websites that have lesson plans, crafts, activities, and more information about Groundhog Day.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club - The official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog celebration, including a live Groundhog Day webcast.

DLTK's Crafts for Kids - Coloring pages, tongue twisters, crafts, and more.

Enchanted Learning - Crafts, worksheets, and printable books.

Primary Games - Online games including a jigsaw puzzle, and word search.

Karissa