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The History of Groundhog Day

By Blair Rainsford
2019

Groundhog Day is celebrated, or honored, in some parts of the United States and
Canada every February 2nd. In this article, Blair Rainsford writes about the history
of this holiday.
As you read, take notes on how Candlemas and Groundhog Day are different.

The Truth About Groundhog

Day

[1] Every February 2, people gather around

a hole in the ground. They wait to see a
furry groundhog pop out of the hole.
They want to know if the groundhog will
see its shadow! Why are they doing this?

"Untitled" by Abigail Lynn is licensed

An Old Legend
under CC0.

It’s because of the legend of Groundhog Day. A legend is a story that has been
passed down from earlier times.

This legend began hundreds of years ago in Europe. On February 2, people

celebrated a holiday called Candlemas (KAN-duhl-muhs). They believed that
animals like badgers and hedgehogs woke up from their long winter hibernation1
on that day.

The animals came up out of their underground burrows. If the day was sunny and
the animal made a shadow, people believed there would be six more weeks of
winter. But if the day was cloudy and the animal didn't see a shadow, people

1. a period of time when animals sleep through the winter in order to save energy

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 believed spring would come soon.

An American Holiday

[5] Many years later, people from Europe moved to Pennsylvania in the United States.
They still wanted to celebrate Candlemas. There was only one problem. There were
no hedgehogs or badgers in Pennsylvania!

But Pennsylvania did have groundhogs, and groundhogs hibernate just like those
other animals. So the people decided to celebrate the groundhog on February 2.

They waited for it to come out of its burrow, and they watched for its shadow, just
like they had done in Europe. They called their new holiday Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day Today

We still celebrate Groundhog Day today. There’s a big party in the town of
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The town has a famous groundhog named
Punxsutawney Phil, and people from all over come to see him.

Will he see his shadow this Groundhog Day? Will we have six more weeks of winter,
or will spring come early? You'll have to wait until February 2 to see!

From Scholastic News Edition 2, February 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Scholastic Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

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 Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in
complete sentences.

1. What is the main idea of this text?

A. Groundhog Day is celebrated on the sunniest day of winter.
B. Groundhog Day is thought to be the oldest holiday in the United
States.
C. Groundhog Day is a holiday that is said to decide when spring will
begin.
D. Groundhog Day is a special day when animals start to sleep for
the winter.

2. According to the holiday, what shows that spring will come soon?
A. if the day is cloudy and the groundhog does not see their shadow
B. if the day is sunny and the groundhog does not see their shadow
C. if the day is cloudy and the groundhog sees their shadow
D. if the day is sunny and the groundhog sees their shadow

3. What does the word "problem" mean in paragraph 5?

A. animal
B. holiday
C. question
D. trouble

4. Which question does the section "Groundhog Day Today" help to answer?
(Paragraphs 8-9)
A. What is Groundhog Day like now?
B. Who first celebrated Groundhog Day?
C. Where do groundhogs live in the spring?
D. Why do groundhogs sleep during the winter?

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5. How are Candlemas and Groundhog Day different?

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 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space

provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Have you ever celebrated Groundhog Day? If so, how did you celebrate?
Many people travel to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on this holiday. Would
you like to travel to this town to celebrate Groundhog Day? Why or why
not?

2. Why do you think people are so eager to see whether winter will end early
or last another six weeks? Explain your thinking. If you were celebrating
Groundhog Day, would you prefer for spring to come early or for winter to
last for six more weeks? Explain your choice.

3. Do you think that it is possible for a groundhog to predict when spring will
come? Why or why not? What are some other ways that people might be
able to predict when spring will come?

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4. Which season is your favorite? Explain your choice. In some parts of the
world, the weather is very similar all year. Would you like to live
somewhere that had the same weather all year? Why or why not?