The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year." (from http://www.gojp.com/groundhog/)Later the legend progressed to the now well known tale of a groundhog emerging from his burrow with the themes from the classic pagan rhyme firmly in place. The Groundhog emegeges from his winter home on the former Candlemas Day. If the "day is bright and clear" the sun will cast a shadow, he will see it, and be fightened back to his burrow bringing six more weeks of cold, or "a second winter".
Though Candlemas Day and the ancient story have it's roots in scotish and pagan tratitions (see About.com's Goundhog Day page) Goundhog Day is very much a North American Holiday and starting in 1886 Philadelphia calaimed it's self the center of the groundhog universe with Punxsutawney Phill of Gobblers Knob the King of the Groundhogs.
So what, you may ask, was Phill's reaction to the sunny skies in 2005? Listen to the official announcement from Punxsutawney, PA via the Official Punxsutawney Goundhog Club Site
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