Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. Have you ever wondered where the tradition of Groundhog Day started? The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day on February 2nd is when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. They believed this would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter. The following English folk song highlights the transition of this day to weather forecasting.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
This tradition of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe. There is no mention of an animal of any kind in the song. When this tradition came to Germany, an animal was added. If the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. As German settlers came to what is now the United States, they brought their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen. This leads us to yet another evolution in the legend and to present day Punxsutawney. The first official trek to see the groundhog of Punxsutawney was in 1887, and it has grown in size every year since. (https://www.groundhog.org/legend-and-lore)
With a few simple materials and our free printable, you can make a groundhog puppet so you can have your own Groundhog Day celebration!
Supplies Needed - scissors, craft stick, wiggly eyes, glue stick, green construction paper
1. Print out the free printable with the groundhog head and poem.
2. Color the head brown. Glue on the eyes and make a nose and mouth.
3. Cut out the head and glue it onto the craft stick.
4. Cut a 4-5" strip of green construction paper and glue it into a circle.
5. Put your groundhog into his hole. Have him pop out and see if he sees his shadow!
Download your FREE groundhog puppet printable here.
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