Groundhog Day: How One Of America's Weirdest Traditions Came To Be (PHOTOS)

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Every Feb. 2, Americans trek to a small Pennsylvania town to wait for a large rodent to predict the next month and a half's temperatures.

But the wacky tradition has a long history rooted in early Christian traditions. The holiday originates from an ancient Christian celebration that took place every year at the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, according to EarthSky.org. The ancient version of Groundhog Day, called Candlemas, perpetuated the superstition that if there were sunny skies that day, a stormy and cold second half of winter was in store. However, cloudy skies on Candlemas signified approaching warm weather.

(​MORE: How Accurate Is Punxsutawney Phil?)

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club website, clergy members blessed candles and distributed them on Candlemas. The custom was then brought to Germany by the Romans, who added their own twist to the holiday. The Germans expanded the lore, concluding that if the sun appeared on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, making for what they called "second winter."

As TIME reports, in 1886, The Punxsutawney Spirit published the first printed mention of Groundhog Day's observance. The next year, a group of groundhog hunters called The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in the western Pennsylvania town, according to History.com. The local groundhog was named Phil, and the local newspaper's editor declared the animal as America's official Groundhog Day groundhog. 

(​MORE: Famous Groundhogs That Aren't Punxsutawney Phil)

Since the first Groundhog Day at Gobbler's Knob 137 years ago, many cities across the U.S. have started their own Groundhog Day traditions. But Punxsutawney's celebration has remained the most flamboyant of Groundhog Day festivals, with tens of thousands of people showing up to the event each Feb. 2. 

Click through the slideshow above to see photos from Groundhog Day festivities of the past.

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