Groundhog Day | JOY for Today
" Groundhog " by Maureen Farrelly at Public Domain Pictures Find JOY today in an annual tradition that, though somewhat silly, brings HOPE to many! Dare to HOPE that warmth will rise again in your life. Groundhog Offerings: Did You Know... Wolfe Stew Connects Bible Verses Activity Suggestion (for families, or classrooms) Did You Know Groundhog Day is: Also known as Imbolc (Pagan) or Candlemas (Christian)? A good marker of the seasons? Set halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox, it logically makes sense to position season-ending forecasting efforts here. Not the original way people would predict winter's end? To Christian Candlemas observers, a sunny Candlemas day foretold 40 more days of winter. A custom brought to America by the Germans? In Europe, Germans decided if small animals (such as badgers) could see their shadows then the day was officially sunny. When they settled Pennsylvania, the custom continued with the substitution of the groundhog. O