Groundhog Day

What is the Significance of Groundhog Day?

February 3, 2017 (the day after)

As a child, I always looked forward to Groundhog Day because it meant I was just a few days from my birthday. It's a curious tradition, though, don't you think? Where did it come from? When did it start?

Some theorize that Groundhog Day is derived from the German celebration of Candlemas Day.Okay. So what is Candlemas Day? It is the day halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Clergy would bless the candles needed for winter and distribute them to the people. Somewhere along the way the Germans added the concept that if it were sunny during this distribution of the candles, then there would be six more weeks of winter. But if it were cloudy and overcast, spring would be just around the corner. They enlisted the help of a hedgehog to make this prediction. Pennsylvania (where Punxsutawny Phil lives) had a lot of German settlers back in the day. In 1886 they used a local animal, the groundhog, to do the forecasting and the rest is history.

I thinks its interesting how these things happen. I'm fairly certain no one sat around in 1886 thinking, "what kind of tradition can we think up that people will celebrate for the next 130 years?"

But what if we could do that?

What if we could come up with something that would go down in history as being worthy of celebration? What would it be?

• Super Bowl Sunday?
• Advertisement Showcase?
• Wing Day?
• Family Home Week?

My prayer is that in 130 years we will still be able to freely celebrate the Christian traditions of Easter and Christmas in our country. After all, those days hold the foundation for our hope of heaven. 

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to celebrate even the little things like seasonal changes. Help us to never lose sight of the importance of your special Christmas gift and Jesus' victory over death on Easter. May they never become just some ancient celebration that has as much significance as a hedgehog seeing his shadow. May we always remember your love poured out on those important days.