100 WVIA Way
Pittston, PA 18640

Phone: 570-826-6144
Fax: 570-655-1180

Copyright © 2025 WVIA, all rights reserved. WVIA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Groundhog Day

These frigid temperatures don't exactly have us thinking spring. But one rather famous rodent in Punxsutawney, P.A. will have his say. Groundhog Day celebrated each February 2nd in a field called Gobblers Knob, where Punxsutawney Phil is wriggled from his burrow first thing in the morning. If he sees his shadow, goes the tradition, we're in for six more weeks of winter weather. No shadow means an early spring.

To some, this all sounds rather silly, but Groundhog Day has ancient European roots and falls on the same day as an old Christian holiday called Candlemas, which has to do with the blessing of candles people needed for the dark winter. It's all about the symbolism of light in darkness or the initial signs of spring.

It wasn't until 1887 that a newspaper editor declared that Phil is an official weather forecasting groundhog. Today, thousands of people head to Punxsutawney for February 2nd, which is about midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, to witness his prediction.