GROUNDHOG DAY - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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GROUNDHOG DAY

Written by Lin Donn

Illustrated by Phillip Martin

Modern Holidays – February 2

Groundhog Day is always celebrated on February 2. This is the day people keep an eye out for groundhogs.

Why?

Ancient Roots – Weather Lore

According to ancient legend, if a groundhog comes out of its burrow and does not see his shadow, because the day is cloudy, winter will soon end.

BUT, if a groundhog does see his shadow, because the weather is bright and clear, the sight of his own shadow will scare him into ducking back into his burrow. That means winter will continue for 6 more weeks.

There are many old superstitions that have to do with predicting the weather.

Farmers wanted to plant seed safely without fear of frost.

Fishermen wanted to avoid dangerous storms at sea.

But there were no weathermen back then to help them. Forecasting was done using superstitions.

Perhaps you’ve heard some of these old sayings:

When the wind blows from the west,That’s when fishing is the best

Red sky at night, sailor's delight,Red sky at morning, sailors take warning

If Candlemas be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.

Many early people believed these ancient sayings.

Some also believed that animals had magical powers.The ancient Egyptians believed that cats could protect their homes.

The ancient Celts believed that groundhogs could predict the weather.

Modern Holidays – February 2

In modern times, people used these old superstitions to build a new holiday called Groundhog Day.

That’s why, on the magical day of February 2nd each year, people say that if a groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, spring is right around the corner.

The truth is – groundhogs cannot predict the weather. But it’s a very fun holiday.