On this day in 1887, the first Groundhog Day is celebrated in Punxsutawney, PA. But why does more sunlight equal more winter? It seems backwards. One explanation looks to an old Gaelic legend: If the goddess Cailleach intended more winter, then she would make a sunshiny day to gather more firewood. Otherwise, sunshine wasn’t needed. Those traditions blended with another significant anniversary: February 2 is Candlemas, the 40th day in the Christmas-Epiphany season. The Bible speaks of Mary’s visit to the Temple on that day, after the birth of Jesus. Christians brought their candles to be blessed on Candelmas, before the last weeks of winter. Over time, people began to predict the weather based on sunshine (or lack thereof) on Candlemas. The tradition expanded to Germany, where Germans began to look to animals (often hedgehogs) to help predict the weather. If the hedgehog saw his shadow, then more winter was coming. When some Germans crossed the Atlantic and settled in Pennsylvania, the tradition was tweaked yet again. The American settlers found more groundhogs than hedgehogs in their new home. The tradition of watching groundhogs was born! Unsurprisingly, some entrepreneurs got a hold of this idea. In 1886, a newspaper, the Punxsutawney Spirit, first printed an item about a Groundhog Day observance. One year later, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club held its first ceremony. The celebrations grew, and each year’s events were elaborately described by newspaperman Clymer H. Freas. In time, others began to tune in to Punxsutawney for weather news. Today, of course, the celebration has become a multi-day event, with visitors pouring in from all over. Entrepreneurs at work, seizing opportunity and turning a simple animal’s shadow into a fun festival! What an AMERICAN thing to do. FULL STORY: TaraRoss.com