Ground Hog's Day

Posted by Diana Tierney Jan 30, 2007

Growing up in upstate New York helped me gain an appreciation for the changing of the seasons. There was a distinct change in the air itself when the seasons began. One of the most dramatic changes was winter into spring. The temperature was warmer, the grass would show through the melting snow and people were wearing a few less layers. Even though there were snow banks that were as tall as me still lingering, I was in shorts and a sweatshirt because it was fifty degrees. It was such a relief after the long cold winter to see some sun and feel a little bit of warmth.

Transporting ourselves back into the mindset of our ancestors it’s hard for us to imagine what they had gone through. Today we have heaters, insulation and grocery stores that have all the food we could eat. Winter to us nothing more than a time of the year that we put up with a regular inconvenience, unlike our ancestors who found that it was the toughest time of the year in which to live. During the winter season it was literally a struggle to survive. There were famines, death from frostbite and worse. It was a never ending battle for their life, any sign that spring was coming bringing with it warmth and food was a welcome friend.

As the article said there were various different animals that people looked to for signs of the on coming spring. Bears, badgers and just about any animal that hibernated in the winter were looked to for the signs of the coming spring. Ground Hog day isn’t just about some furry little creature that seems to be able to tell the future. For our ancestors the Ground Hog gave people hope that their suffering at the hands of nature was at an end giving them hope that life could be slightly easier.

Though Ground hog’s day is a holiday that has been demoted to just a minor commercial holiday that holds maybe about five minutes on a local news cast it still has the remnants of a holiday that stood for hope. Whether it was called Imbolc or any other name it was a day for people to look towards a better, warmer tomorrow. It wasn’t just our ancient ancestors that looked towards tomorrow; it was the farmer who relied on the oncoming spring to be able to plant a new crop which was their livelihood. If they couldn’t plant their crops they were financially ruined. They not only needed the reassurance that spring was coming but also that it could potentially come early so that they could get a head start on what they needed to do.

Though this holiday has evolved it still has honorable roots in something that is characteristic of human behavior which is a desire to keep hope and to know what lays ahead in the future.