Grundsaudaag

Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day 2005 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Observed by	United States, Canada and Germany
Type	Cultural
Significance	Supposedly predicts the arrival of spring
Celebrations	Announcing whether a groundhog sees its shadow after it emerges from its burrow
Date	February 2
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Candlemas

Groundhog Day or Ground-Hog Day, ground-hog's day, etc., (Pennsylvania German: Grund'sau dåk, Grundsaudaag, Grundsow Dawg, Murmeltiertag; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular tradition celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2.

It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog (Deitsch: Grundsau, Grunddax, Dax) emerging from its burrow on this day sees a shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks, and if he does not, due to cloudiness, spring season will arrive early.

The weather lore was brought from German-speaking areas where the badger (German: dachs) is the forecasting animal. This appears to be an enhanced version of the lore that clear weather on Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter.

The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in central Pennsylvania has become the most attended. Grundsow Lodges in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the southeast part of the state celebrate them as well. Other cities in the United States and Canada have also adopted the event.

The 1993 movie (Groundhog Day) helped boost recognition of the custom, and the celebration has spread even further afield. In 2009, Quebec began to mark the day (Canadian French: Jour de la Marmotte) with its own groundhog.

The observance of Groundhog Day in the United States first occurred in German communities in Pennsylvania, according to known records.

The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is a February 2, 1840 entry in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, Pennsylvania, in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, according to the book on the subject by Don Yoder. This was a Welsh enclave but the diarist was commenting on his neighbors who were of German stock.