Several cultures throughout the world celebrate customs strikingly similar to Groundhog Day – many around the same time – all in the spirit of predicting the weather.
• In Serbia, Feb. 15 is the feast of Sretenje or The Meeting of the Lord, where it is believed that a bear will awake from hibernating, and if it sees his shadow, it will go back to sleep for 40 more days, thus prolonging the winter.
• In Portugal, Feb. 2 is Candelária Day or the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, where it is said if it’s a sunny day, more winter is still to come, but if it’s a cloudy or rainy day, spring will arrive soon.
• In Germany, June 27 is Siebenschläfertag or Seven Sleepers Day, where it is believed that if it’s raining that day, the rest of the summer will also be rainy. Curiously, siebenschläfer is the German name for a kind of rodent, but the festival celebrates the martyrdom of seven Christian brothers.
• In the United Kingdom, July 15 is St. Swithun’s Day, where it was traditionally believed if it rained that day, it would rain for the next 40 days and nights.
• In Alaska, Feb. 2 is known as Marmot Day rather than Groundhog Day because few groundhogs live in the state. The holiday was signed into law in 2009 by then-Gov. Sarah Palin.
