Date sent: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 08:58:03 -0500
Subject: Re: FEAST 2 February
From: Shannon McSheffrey <[log in to unmask]>
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>
>Today, 2 February, is the feast of ...
>
>* the Purification of Mary
>- also known as Candlemas ...
Does anyone know what the connection between Groundhog Day and Candlemas is?
I remember hearing an explanation once but have forgotten how the two
connect. (For those unfamiliar with Groundhog Day: on Feb. 2, a groundhog
comes out of hibernation; if, as he comes out, he sees his shadow, he knows
there are still six more weeks of winter, and so he goes back to bed; if he
doesn't see his shadow, that means that winter will end soon.)
Shannon McSheffrey
History, Concordia
Montreal
There was a short article on this very thing in the Independent (for what
that's worth) just a day or two ago. Apparently German settlers in America
brought along a belief that if a hedgehog emerged at Candlemas and saw its
shadow it would go back into hibernation for 6 weeks. There weren't any
hedgehogs in America so groundhogs had to do instead. I have no means of
checking the veracity of this information, so I am passing it on as a modern
myth.
Julia Barrow
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