Groundhog Day preview

If you happen to wager on whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow or not (I have, and I won), keep in mind that if you take no shadow (early spring), you better get odds.  Phil goes for 6 more weeks of winter 88% of the time.  This "holiday" is just corny enough for me to like, even without a Bill Murray movie involved.  It is a renewal of old German lore recreated in the US, by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. From wikipedia:

An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry,^[9] dated February 5, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris:

Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans,^[10] the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.

As is mentioned above, Groundhog Day shares the date, and some legends of Candlemas (or the Presentation, 40 days after Christmas), and also is thought by some to be tied to Imbolc, or feast of St. Brigid (patron saint of cattle and of chicken farmers) which falls on February 1, and is considered the beginning of spring in Ireland.  This is midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  As a person who looks forward to the coming of spring, and planting, I appreciate all the events featuring lights, celebrations and predictions of the end of winter and the coming of spring.  It is a reminder that prior to the industrial revolution, everybody's liveliehood was tied to the weather and the changing seasons and the holidays fell on the astronomically significant days which were tied to the seasons.  This is your useless fact post of the day.