Here are more notes of Groundhog Day--thanks to some Facebook friends!
From Tyler, a priest in the Catholic Church: Candlemass is also known as the "Presentation of the Lord in the Temple". It is a feast day commemorating Luke 2:22-40 when the baby Jesus was presented in the temple by Mary and Joseph in accordance with Jewish practice, dedicating the first born son in remembrance of the Passover 40 days after birth. Today is the 40th day after Christmas. In the Gospel passage, the prophet SImeon prophesies that Jesus would be a Lumen Gentium-Light to the nations. So it became the custom to bless all the candles that would be used in the church for the coming year. The candle tradition was more than likely also a pagan tradition having to do with the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.Also in Rome today is the traditional day to take down the Christmas tree and put away the Nativity scene. Sort of the official end to the Christmas festivities...in time for the beginning of Lent.
From my friend Teddy:
this ones for you. found it on the history channel web site: Teddy Butler Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal--the hedgehog--as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State
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