Groundhog’s Day has been a part of American tradition for many years.  It’s is the day that predicts how many weeks of winter remain.  If a groundhog sees his shadow, there are 6 more weeks of winter, if he doesn’t  it means winter is almost over. The early settlers of Pennsylvania were mostly German.  In Germany, February 2nd was known as Candlemas Day.  The custom was to have the clergy bless candles and distribute them to the people.  On that day, if the sun was not shining, it was a prediction of six more weeks of bad weather. Once the German’s settled in Pennsylvania, they noticed how abundant the groundhog was and how it resembled the European hedgehog.  They believed it was the most intelligent and sensible animal around and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, the wise animal would see its shadow and continue hibernating for another six weeks. Visit the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club website for more history and information on Groundhog Day.