One of the most oddly interesting traditional observances, Groundhog’s Day, was celebrated this month on Feb. 2. Did you miss it? It may be difficult to imagine that this small observance began in medieval Germany in the late 16th century and still persists today, yet it does – with some changes.
Instead of a groundhog, our medieval counterparts celebrated the badger. Nevertheless, when German immigrants moved to the U.S., they kept their weather tradition alive by substituting the scarce badger for the widely available groundhog.
“I first heard about Groundhog Day [in school,]” said OH junior Christian Zalvidar. “They teach us about it in elementary [school],” he recalled.
A tradition that Americans take pride in, we have all heard about Groundhog Day at least once in elementary school, as schools make sure to cover traditions and holidays. Legend has it that on Feb. 2, a groundhog that wakes from hibernation and sees its shadow will forecast six more weeks of winter. If not, there will be an early spring
“To me, it’s more of an amusing thing,” said Fine Arts teacher Daniel Whipple. “I am amused by [children’s] interest in it. The interest that young kids have in it is amusing.”
A big subject of debate has been the accuracy of the prediction of the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Phil has historically been right only 35% of the time.
“Based on the weather this past week,” explained OH German teacher Nicholas Opiola, “it’s been so warm [that] I kind of don’t think we’re going to have six weeks of winter, but apparently it is supposed to get a little bit chillier.”
Zaldivar agreed, saying, “We definitely won’t have [six] more [weeks] of winter. I think I’d rather have spring.”
Unfortunately, for these poor souls and spring lovers everywhere, Phil saw his shadow and predicted the U.S will have six more weeks of winter. However, Whipple offers another point of view that counters the frigid forecast.
“I actually was talking to my family about [this],” said Whipple, “They said, six more weeks of winter, like, yeah, but that’s all the way in Pennsylvania. [But] the groundhog in Woodstock [IL] didn’t see a shadow, and he’s closer.”
That’s right, there’s more than one popular forecasting rodent in the continental states. In fact, NOAA lists a combined total of 77 live and dead animals that forecast the weather in the U.S. Most of them are more accurate than the Philadelphia rodent. But the point Whipple is trying to get across is that these animals sometimes contradict one another.
“So maybe there’s not going to be six more weeks of winter,” said Whipple. ”But I also thought it was funny that six more weeks takes us to late March right around spring break. Usually when spring is supposed to start on March 20th. So I would say like, either way, Phil’s prediction doesn’t even matter.”
So that begs the question, what does? If Phil’s prediction often falls on March 20 anyway, when spring equinox begins, what’s even the point of Groundhog’s day?
“Everyone’s opinion is going to be different,” Whipple said “[But for me] I think traditions are fun. It’s a part of culture no matter what the tradition is, whatever that tradition might be, whether they’re scientifically accurate or not. I think it makes for an increased human experience to have traditions, whether they’re totally off the wall nuts or they’re based on facts.”
Whipple stresses the importance for humans to have a culture of some type of tradition, even if it’s just for amusement. While traditions are good, one doesn’t want to ignore plain hard facts.
“I would say, as time goes on, [Groundhog’s Day] becomes a little bit less important. It’s kind of a little more common. It still sort of holds like a comical value,” said Opiola. “I would definitely say accuracy is more important than festivities. I think the truth is always more important than tradition. I think if you’re not telling the truth, then you’re lying.”
How can we celebrate tradition and also give importance to scientifically accurate predictions for future generations? Whipple gives us the answer.
“I think… we [should] use it as a fun tradition,” Whipple said, ”but [we should] also educate children on the fact that even [though we celebrate], we still have to pay attention to what the Earth is telling us, and what science is revealing to us. We should educate them about the spring equinox, and about the true origins of Groundhog’s day, so they can have an informed view of this time-honored tradition.”
Hello! My name is Tristan Acosta and I'm a junior at Oswego High School, this is my first year of being on the 42Fifty staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
