Where in the Heck Did Groundhog Day Come From?

Have you ever wondered how Ground Hog Day got started?  Me too!  I'm still not sure of the current holiday's true origins, but I do know that Feb. 2 is roughly half-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.  So we're already half way to Spring!  (Except that in these northers climes Spring does't actually arrive until sometime in May, if we're lucky.)  No matter.

In doing a bit of reading I've learned that there is a holiday or festal observance in all four of the seasons.  Feb. 2 is the one between midwinter and spring's "arrival".  In the Medieval Church is was called Candlemas.  And since the Medieval Church tended to make Holy Days ('Hoildays') out of pagan observances, I think this is probably the case.  I need to do more research on Candlemas...

The next midpoint is half-way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.  It is May 1!  Sound familiar?  It's long been celebrated as May Day.  And there are probably a lot of pagan fertility rites in its dark past.  Bu the way I've run across one of its ancient names--Beltane.  The Church took care of it by calling it May Crowning, when the Virgin Mary is crowned the Queen of the May--whatever that means.

No one will be surprised to learn that the midpoint between the Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice is Oct. 31 or Nov. 1.  This is the one that seems to have the most overtones and observance in our modern day.  Halloween with all its ghostly trapping is obvious.  In ancient times is was called Samhain--and was the night of the dead.  The Church took over and named Nov. 1 All Saints Day, so we can remember those who have gone before us.  I have a feeling that's what the ancients did on Samhain, too.  Martina Luther added some weight to All Saints Day (for Protestants, at least) by nailing his 'Theses' or objections to the Catholic Church on the church door where he was pastor. (Wittenburg--now in Germany).

'Wait!' you say.  What about the midpoint between Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox?  Well, all I've been able to find on this so far is that the Medieval Church called it Lammas, but I don't know what that means.  It falls on August 1.  When I lived in Colorado it was a holiday celebrating the statehood of that state.  Haven't heard of any other holidays on Aug. 1--but maybe it's because we're just too busy enjoying the fleeting days of Summer.  Perhaps in this age, we just celebrate Lammas from Midsummer all the way to Autumn.

Anyway, Spring is Coming--eventually!