Groundhog Day 2025
The Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Punxsutawney Phil, will once again appear at sunrise on Feb. 2 at Gobbler's Knob in the Pennsylvania Wilds to make his annual prediction on the 139th Groundhog Day.
The Pennsylvania Tradition of the Groundhog
What does a sleepy, furry marmot have to do with seasonal change? According to fans of Punxsutawney Phil, everything! But why?
The story begins with Candlemas, an early Christian holiday where candles were blessed and distributed. Celebrators of the holiday eventually declared clear skies on Candlemas meant a longer winter. The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this tradition to the Germanic tribes who concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather or "Second Winter." German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania; but how did Punxsutawney Phil emerge?