• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How Accurate is the Groundhog Day Forecast and Where Did the Holiday Come From?

How Accurate is the Groundhog Day Forecast and Where Did the Holiday Come From?

July 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

In German folklore, if it’s sunny when it emerges from hibernation, a groundhog will be frightened by his own shadow and return to his lair.

Therefore crops shouldn’t be planted because there will be another six weeks of winter.

In fact the groundhog comes out hungry and ready to mate, but if he’s still dozy and his senses are dulled, he goes back to sleep.

As a forecaster, the groundhog is accurate only 28 percent of the time, about the same as the weatherman.

The holiday began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It has origins in ancient European weather folklore, and is similar to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas.

Related Facts

  • When was the first Groundhog Day celebration and who created it?
  • How accurate is the official groundhog Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day?
  • How Did Groundhog Day Originate and What Is the Religious Significance of Groundhog Day?
  • How Did the Aardvark Get its Name, What Does it Mean in Dutch, and is it Related to the Groundhog?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • How did the Groundhog get its name and Where does the word Groundhog come from?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Did the Custom of Trick-or-Treating During Halloween Originate and Where Did the Practice Come From?
Next Post: How Did Valentine’s Day Originate and How Did Valentine Become the Patron Saint of Lovers? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy