If I asked you what is the most underrated holiday in the U.S., what would you say? St. Patrick’s day? No, that is a big drinking day for everyone. Flag day? What is Flag Day? Could it possibly Columbus Day? No definitely not, the nation is starting to realize that Christopher Columbus was a terrible person. The correct answer is Groundhog Day!
Yes, the almighty Groundhog Day is the most underrated, under appreciated holiday around. And I just don’t understand why; this amazing holiday does what few other holidays do, which is brings people of all backgrounds, religions, and races around together to watch the marvelous Punxsutawney Phil.
Who is Punxsutawney Phil, you ask? Only the most famous groundhog in all of the land; this little guy determines your spring break plans, and also your mood. He is the one that decides if you can start shopping for the new spring line or keep your wallet in your pocket, right next to your hand warmers. But wait, he is just an animal… how can a glorified rodent decide on such a thing? Let me give you a little history.
According to the History Channel, Groundhog Day first started off as the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day. What is Candlemas day, you ask? It's when the clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles, much like the groundhog, represented how long and cold the winter would be. So wait, how did candles transition to an animal? Well once the Germans got their hands on the idea, they selected a hedgehog (horrible idea) as the predictor of the weather. Then America heard about this party and stole it (much like everything else) then flipped that hedgehog into a groundhog and boom, a new tradition was born.
So why would you care about it? Uh because an animal DETERMINES THE WEATHER. Plus, who doesn't want to see a cute, fury, fabulous animal creep out of its hole only to either excited or disappoint a whole population? That is power, that is Groundhog Day. This is a holiday that brings people from all over the nation together! I mean, I guess you could very well just look up the weather each week so they can get a quick look at what it will be like, and then go on with your daily life without waking up extremely early only to wait on an animal to come out for a minute then go back. But where is the fun in that?! Why would you do that when you can put in time and effort into such an occasion! And how can you resist such a cute face? You can't.
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People take this holiday tradition very seriously. There is even a WikiHow on how to celebrate it properly. There is even a movie titled after it! So please, for the love of Punxsutawney Phil, celebrate. Throw a party, watch it happen live, and smile knowing a rodent is determining your seasonal fate.
