Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day, apart from being a great film, in Canada focuses on the concept of a groundhog coming out of its home in mid-winter to “predict” if spring is on its way in the northern hemisphere.
What Do People Do?
Many Canadians celebrate Groundhog Day. Some Christian churches also celebrate Candlemas on this day, while others use Groundhog Day to take down their Christmas decorations !!!!
Groundhog Day is growing more and more popular in Canada. There is a festival in Wiarton, Bruce County, Ontario, where the town groundhog, Wiarton Willie, delivers his “prediction” early in the morning on February 2 every year.
Early or Late Spring?
Thousands of years ago when animalism and nature worship were prevalent, people in the part of Europe where Germany is today, believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops.
This tradition was brought over to North America, predominantly to Pennsylvania in the United States, where it was the groundhog, not the badger, which made these “predictions”.
According to folklore, if the groundhog sees its shadow on February 2 it will return to its burrow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not see its shadow, then spring is on the way.
The Groundhog Day concept first became popular in Canada in 1956 when Wiarton Willie became a household name for his early February weather predictions. Wiarton’s Groundhog Day festival grew as Willie’s fame increased. It became one of the largest winter festivals in Bruce County, Canada.
There are also other groundhogs in different parts of Canada. For example, Shubenacadie Sam is reportedly the first groundhog in the country to stick its head out on Groundhog Day. Other groundhogs include: Gary the Groundhog in Ontario, Brandon Bob in Manitoba and Balzac Billy in Alberta.
Did You Know -
- The average groundhog is 20 inches long and normally weighs from 12 to 15 pounds. Punxsutawney Phil weighs about 20 pounds and is 22 inches long.
- Groundhogs are covered with coarse grayish hairs tipped with brown or sometimes dull red. They have short ears, a short tail, short legs, and are surprisingly quick. Their jaws are exceptionally strong.
- A groundhog's diet consists of lots of greens, fruits, and vegetables and very little water. Most of their liquids come from dewy leaves.
- A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting.
- Insects do not bother groundhogs and germs leave them alone. They are resistant to the plagues that periodically wipe out large numbers of wild animals. One reason for this is their cleanliness.
- Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood scarcely flows, and breathing nearly stops.
- Young Groundhogs are usually born in mid-April or May, and by July they are able to go out on their own. The size of the litter is 4 to 9. A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub.
