Groundhog Day comes from a tradition brought to America by people from Germany and Great Britain. They believed it was a time to predict the weather for the next six weeks. According to legend, the groundhog, or woodchuck, wakes from its long winter sleep on February 2 and pokes its head out of its burrow. If the sun is shining and it sees its shadow, it gets scared and retreats underground, meaning six more weeks of winter. But if it’s cloudy and there’s no shadow, it stays outside, signaling that spring is on its way. Science, however, hasn’t confirmed this belief.

In the United States as Ground-hog Day is more whimsical. On this day, everyone listens for reports of Punxsutawney Phil, the nation’s “official” groundhog.

Source: World Book Encyclopedia 1990