Groundhog Day's history: How Punxsutawney Phil became an international, weather-predicting celebrity
Every year on Feb. 2, the tradition continues as faithful followers eagerly await for this famous prognosticating groundhog to emerge from his burrow at Gobbler's Knob to forecast either a long winter or early spring.
AccuWeather’s Melissa Constanzer takes you through the history behind the world’s most famous prognosticator.
Every year on Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil’s faithful followers eagerly await word on whether the most famous weather-forecasting groundhog has caught a glimpse of his shadow at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
On Groundhog Day, it’s bad news for fans of warmer weather if Phil emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow, which signifies six more weeks of winter. If his shadow is nowhere to be found, however, Phil has predicted an early spring.
The groundhog’s forecasts might be fun to anticipate, but they’re not always correct, according to Stormfax, which reported that Phil has only gotten it right 39 percent of the time.
The popular tradition, made even more famous with the release of the film “Groundhog Day” in 1993, dates back to the late 1800s.
As the event has grown in popularity, so have the crowds. The number of people who flock to western Pennsylvania every Feb. 2 has mushroomed since the first Groundhog Day celebration took place in 1887 at Gobbler’s Knob.
“Today, we’re getting up to 35,000 people showing up here in town,” said Bill Deeley, former president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. “We’re getting more people showing up here than [the amount that] show up at a professional ball game.”
Groundhog Day’s origins
The tradition originated in Punxsutawney, a small town of German ancestry, Deeley said. The Germans used a hedgehog to let them know if spring would arrive early or if winter would go on as normal.
It’s rooted in the ancient Christian Candlemas Day tradition, according to History.com. Clergyman would distribute and bless candles in the dark of winter. The Romans started the tradition and the Germans took the concept further by choosing an animal to predict the weather. The custom continued as settlers arrived in Pennsylvania.
Inner Circle President Tom Dunkel and Groundhog handler AJ Derume with Punxsutawney Phil. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
The Germans concluded that if the sun appeared on Candlemas Day, which also falls on Feb. 2, an animal would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter.
“When the German settlers all came over here, we didn’t really have a true hedgehog, and the next thing would be the way-out cousin, the groundhog,” Deeley said.
The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, made a great substitute as they were plentiful in Pennsylvania, and the animal has been used to predict the early arrival of spring or a continued winter season ever since.
In 1887, a local newspaper editor declared Phil, whose full title is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary,” to be the United States’ only true weather-forecasting groundhog.
Unfortunately for the groundhog, in those days, the event usually culminated with the weather forecaster being served and eaten as a main entrée, said Deeley.
Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Times have changed, and now Punxsutawney Phil, who was once previously known as Br’er Groundhog, is treated as a celebrity, with thousands of onlookers from all over the globe visiting Gobbler’s Knob to watch his predictions.
The Inner Circle
“You’ll see over the years, we’ve worn a top hat and tux and tails on Groundhog Day,” said Deeley, who has been a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle since 1986.
“It’s in honor of Phil, to show him the royalty that he deserves and the special individual he is,” he said.
Everyone knows Punxsutawney Phil, our favorite furry forecaster, but ever wonder who those top hat and tux-wearing men are keeping the Groundhog Day ritual alive?
A group of 15 individuals comprise the Inner Circle, a Punxsutawney-based group that carries on the annual Groundhog Day tradition. They’re responsible for planning the events and ensuring Phil is cared for and fed.
“It’s definitely a big part of your life,” said A.J. Dereume, one of Phil’s co-handlers. “If you’re in the Inner Circle, Groundhog Day is like your second job, but you don’t get paid for it; it’s a labor of love.”
At the crack of dawn every Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil is awoken by the outside crowd chants of "Phil!" He comes out of his burrow and is hoisted into the air for the assembly to hail before making his decision. He then speaks to the Groundhog Club president in “Groundhogese,” a language only understood by the Inner Circle’s current president, according to the group. The president then translates Phil’s prediction to the world.
Deeley said the increased exposure since the popular 1993 film hit theaters has been great for the small community of Punxsutawney, home to more than 5,800 residents.
“Groundhog Day is designed to be fun,” Deeley said.
The crowd watches the festivities while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
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