January is now behind us and we are moving into the rest of the winter. With how brutal this winter has already been I’m sure many are asking the question, “When is spring coming?” Well with tomorrow being Groundhog Day, we may find out if winter will live on or will it give way to a beautiful spring.

So you’re probably in disbelief at the fact that people believe this age-old lore and that, to some degree, is understandable. For thousands of years, mankind has looked to animals to predict weather and many other natural forces. The story of Groundhog Day dates back over two hundred years ago to a German community in Pennsylvania when the town’s newspaper editor used a groundhog as the chief meteorologist. As the tradition goes if the groundhog sees his shadow, there is to be more winter and vice-versa. Of course, there is no real accurate correlation between the animal seeing his shadow and the exchange of the seasons, but the holiday is celebrated all around the world in countries like Canada, Germany, and Russia.

Nowadays we have no use for this superstitious legend other than to have fun with what is now an American tradition. With our advanced weather tracking systems, we can easily see when the breaking of spring will come. Groundhog Day will continue to be a fun holiday to celebrate age-old traditions, folklore, and fun.

To find out the fate of the winter as it relates to the groundhog, you can tune into any news channel on February 2nd, as many of them will be covering the event. Also, check out the movie “Groundhog Day” starring legendary comedian, Bill Murray. It gives a fun twist to the premise of the holiday. No matter what the prediction the groundhog is our friend and we appreciate him for his hard work.