The Importance of Spring

The first official Groundhog Day was reported on February 2nd, 1840 in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Different countries at this time had different animals they watched to predict the longer winter. In Germany it was the badger and Scotland it was the snake,. The Isle of Man, a large bird, and an Ireland, a hedgehog. Germans who immigrated to the United States and Canada brought the tradition with them. Today the Groundhog celebration in Pucksatani, Pennsylvania is the largest in the world with over 40,000 people attending each year. This year will be 137 years since the first celebration.