Come celebrate Hedgehog Day, from 1 pm to 1:30 pm at Cuddy Park!
What’s that you say? You think I’m talking about the wrong ‘hog’, that it should be ‘Ground’ hog Day and not ‘Hedge’ hog Day? Well, according to the internet (and as we all know, everything on the internet is completely true and factual), long before Punxsutawney Phil started predicting the weather in Pennsylvania, the Romans were using hedgehogs to do the same thing. The difference was the Romans would see if the hedgehog saw its shadow under a clear moon at night. If it saw its moon-shadow, another 6 weeks of winter was sure to follow. (https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/hedgehogday.shtml)
In the Gaelic calendar of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, St. Brighid's Day was celebrated on February 1st as a day for predicting the weather. In Scotland, a snake was the animal used to herald spring, and on the Isle of Man it was a large bird, but in Irish lore hedgehogs were used for this omen:
“In Irish folk tradition St. Brighid's Day, 1 February, is the first day of Spring, and thus of the farmer's year. ... To see a hedgehog was a good weather sign, for the hedgehog comes come out of the hole in which he has spent the winter, looks about to judge the weather, and returns to his burrow if bad weather is going to continue. If he stays out, it means that he knows the mild weather is coming.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day)
In Germany, the Roman tradition was celebrated using a hibernating badger, wolf, or bear as predictors. Since many Germans that immigrated to the United States in the 1800’s settled in Pennsylvania, they brought the tradition with them. However, instead of using other animals, the mystical powers transferred to groundhogs, which were much more common in that area. And so, the tradition was re-named as Groundhog Day.
Although these traditions may have somewhat faded from use in Europe, there is still a religious tradition of weather prediction at this time. February 2nd is also Candlemas in the Christian calendar, and there’s a traditional rhyme in the U.K that goes:
“If Candlemas Day is clear and bright,
Winter will have another bite.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.”
(http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/02/never-mind-groundhogs-happy-hedgehog-day)
Here in Alaska, we don’t have any hedgehogs (they’re only found in Europe), though there are groundhogs in the Interior. However, in Anchorage perhaps we should instead be celebrating Canadian Goose Day, since they really are harbingers of spring (just a thought). Whatever animal you prefer, come on out and let’s see if anyone (or anything) can see its shadow. If not, maybe spring will be right around the corner.
The largest celebration of Groundhog Day in the U.S. occurs in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds of up to 40,000 visit Punxsutawney Phil at Gobblers Knob at daybreak (which this year is at 7:25 am). Since I don’t want to get up that early, the time of this event will be at mid-day, from 1 pm to 1:30 pm (solar noon on the 2nd is at exactly 1:13 pm). The event will be held at Cuddy Park in mid-town. Hope to see you there!