In 1993 the film "El día de la marmota" or "Hechizo del tiempo" (Groundhog day) was released. The famous romantic comedy not only stood out for the original script but also showed the world the famous American and Canadian tradition: February 2nd
This popular act makes it possible to predict, more or less exactly, when the end of winter will come depending on whether or not the animal sees its shadow on the ground. For years there is evidence of the predictions of the groundhog that have been quite successful. Find out all about the meaning of Groundhog Day in this article on our site.
The beginning of the tradition
The tradition of Groundhog Day dates back to 1887, the date on which attempts began to be made to predict the length of winter based on the marmot behaviour. Although the name of Phil is the most famous and well-known, there have been numerous other very popular groundhogs, such as Wiarton Willie.
Those who are most faithful to this prediction method claim to have an precision of between 75% and 90%, although tests and studies they place it between about 37%.
The origins of this festivity begin in Candelaria when European Christians used hedgehogs for the same purpose. If the animal could see its shadow, it seemed that the winter would last another 6 weeks, a "second winter", while if it could not see it, it meant the arrival of spring. German immigrants to the United States and Canada exported this tradition, substituting the groundhog for the hedgehog.
