Although Groundhog Day is a heavily celebrated tradition in the US, its origins may stem from a European holiday, called Candlemas Day. This was an ancient festival that marked the midpoint of winter, and on this day, all the candles to be used in the church next year were blessed as a way to increase the strength of the sun during the transition to from winter to spring.
As the tradition evolved and moved throughout different regions, an animal was brought into the mix. The custom eventually moved to the US, where, according to the History Society of Berks County in Reading, Pa., a man during the mid-19th century wrote in his diary about a groundhog who on Feb. 2, came out of hibernation only to turn around and hibernate for another six weeks after seeing his shadow.
