The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-02-01
Grounding Day
Is Based on Indian
~ Weather Lore

Of all the ancient superstitfons con-
nected with weather signs and omens,
the most persistent is Candlemas or,
as it is known on this side of the At
1antic, "Groundhog Day. A multi
tude of people are anxiously awaiting
the norrow's meteorological develop
rnents, for it is on the second of Feb
ruary that the groundhog-who also
travels under the names of woodchuck
marmot and scientifically, Arctomys
Monax-is expected to issue from his
winter quarters to cast a weatherwise
eye about. If the grounding sees
his shadow, he realizes that winter is
far from over, and he retires for an
other nap. If, on the contrary, the
decides that King Winters back has
been broken, and saIlies forth in
search of nourishnent.
Grounding Day is an American
adaptation, based on Indian lore, of
the ancient Scotch superstition con-
nected with the second day of Febru-
airy, and which is expressed in the fol-
lowing coup1et:
tfOn Candlemas day, if the sun appear,
There'11 be two winters in the year.
While the grounding has really
nothing to do with Cand1emas, nor
Candlemas with the grounding, it is
declared that the Indians of long ago
did find the little animal fairly ac-
curate weather prophet. The redskins
under aboriginal conditions We're close
students of the habits of birds and
animals, and they depended upon the
furred and feathered- tribe to provide
| them with advance information on the
weather.
According to the Indian traditions,
it was observed that at the first on
c1a
rowed into their holes. Their they
remained for two moons, or a period
of eight weeks. At the expiration of
that period the animals again appear
ed on the surface. The Indians
watched closely for their appearance,
and. if the animals remained above
ground, they concluded that winter
was practically over. If, on the con-
trary, the groundhogs soon disappear
led into their burrows, it was looked
upon as an indication of further Sc
we're weather Nj
This faith in the wisdom of the
grounding is supposed to have orig
mated in Ohio and western Pennsyl-
vania, where Woodchucls were nu-
nero u.s. and to have been spread
| thence by the trappers and hunters to
| other parts of the country. The IN
dams of that section explained their
confidence in the grounding by saying
that when cold weather sets in and
continues with little or no interInission
! for two moons, an early Spring is in
| dicated, If, on the contrary mild
weather prevails in the early part of
winter and UP to February, that
| month and March are likely to be pro-
ductive of little joy to anybody but
| coal dealers and boys who have skates
land sleds. There is, of course, some
basis for this belief. but the associa-
ton of the grounding with the Can
dlemas festival on the second of Feb
ruary is but another example of the
human tendency to graft new super
| stitions old ones
| The Christian festival of Candlemas'
| which commentaries the Publication
of the Virgin, is thought to be a con-
| tinuation of the pagan feast Of the
Februatfon or purificatiop of the peo-
pie, which was celebrated in February
of each year in ancient Rome.
The Pennsylvania town of Punxsu-
! tawney, forty-1ve miles northwest of
Altoona, is the shrine of the ground
| hog. Grounding Day has long been
| celebrated as a mid-w1nter fete in that
village, and it is the center of infor-
nation for all the lore and legends
connected with Arctomys Monax and
his annual visitation.