On February 2, 1887, the first official Groundhog Day celebration was held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. What began as a quirky local tradition became a lasting American ritual: each winter, a groundhog is asked to predict whether spring will come early, or whether winter still has teeth.

The custom has deeper roots in European Candlemas traditions, where weather lore and seasonal turning points mingled with folk superstition. In America, it found a new mascot: Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog in history, elevated to meteorological celebrity.

Of course, it’s never really been about accuracy. Groundhog Day endures because it gives people something simple to do in the heart of winter: gather, laugh, and pretend, just for a moment, that the future can be glimpsed in a shadow on the snow.

Thanks for reading,

The TTC Team

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