Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Groundhog Day is celebrated each year on Feb. 2, when people across the country wait to discover if a small furry rodent will predict an early spring or another six weeks of harsh winter weather.

For those of you who don’t know the science around the tradition, if the groundhog sees his shadow, winter will be around for a little while longer. However, if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow, spring is on its way.

Here are some facts about Groundhog Day:

• The tradition can be traced to Candlemas, an early Christian holiday. Those who celebrated Candlemas decided that clear skies on the holiday meant a longer winter.

• The Germans eventually began to believe that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow -- predicting six more weeks of winter.

• When German immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania, they found a large number of groundhogs. So they decided that the groundhog, which resembles the European hedgehog, could predict the weather.

• The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was founded in Punxsutawney, Pa., in 1887 by a group of groundhog hunters. The editor of the Punxsutawney newspaper was a member of the club, and he claimed that Punxsutawney Phil was the only true weather-predicting groundhog. Eventually the furry Pennsylvania rodent -- known as Punxsutawney Phil -- became famous.