Groundhog Day is underappreciated by the Drew community and by society at large. If you do not believe Groundhog Day is the best holiday of the year then we are sorry, but you are simply wrong. The integration of this fascinating American cultural tradition into campus life would benefit not only the student body, but also the resident groundhog population. In these cold winter months, it might just be the one thing Drewids are missing.
Groundhog Day reportedly made its way to the United States via German immigrants who settled in the Pennsylvania area. Historians speculate that the Pennsylvania Dutch (an English mishearing of the word “Deutsch,” meaning German) brought the tradition with them from Europe.
Groundhog-related celebrations have been recorded in Pennsylvania communities as early as the 1840s, according to a diary from a resident of Morgantown, Pa., but the event as we know it today—which features masses of up to 40,000 people descending on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa—has been the tradition’s hallmark since 1887.
Burrowing animals’ uncanny abilities to accurately predict weather patterns were well-utilized by European cultures to forecast when spring would arrive and crops could be planted. Our furry friends depend on their understanding of the environment to survive, and for this reason, their human counterparts respected them.
Thus, the tradition of consulting these animals for their predictions became ritualized as part of the Pagan holiday Imbolc, later adopted by Christians and renamed Candlemas. These holidays fall on the first few days of February every year and coincide with the age-old tradition of ripping the hog out of the ground and asking him for weather advice.
The same groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, who is definitely an immortal weather god who only drinks the elixir of life, has been predicting the weather since 1887. His predictions are shared by the Groundhog Club, clad in their traditional hats and tuxedos for the ceremony. The president of the club’s inner circle speaks to Phil in “groundhogese” to get the inside scoop on his prediction.
He is then tasked with sharing the news with the crowd since our furry friend still gets a little shy all these years later. After sharing his prediction, the Groundhog Club triumphantly raise Phil above the heads of the gathered crowd for one last hurrah and plenty of photo ops for awaiting weather channels (sadly, the Acorn did not have the budget to send a photographer of our own). The celebration usually lasts a while in Punxsutawney, and the major events occur on Feb. 3, including lunch with Phil, a winter celebration held by the Punxsutawney chamber of commerce and the Groundhog Ball at the Punxsutawney country club for those over 21.
And perhaps you are thinking, “If Drew students want to celebrate Groundhog Day, they could simply visit good old Punxsutawney Phil and join in the fun the next state over.” Unfortunately, it takes five hours to travel from Drew to Punxsutawney, and any decent spot to view the event must be secured by 3 a.m., which means getting out of class and driving all night long. Not to mention the ceremony takes place around 7:20 a.m., so even after securing a spot, you would be standing for a while, just to get back in your car to make the trek home. It’s too far for any sane student to consider, and yet just close enough to tempt.
So if we can not go to Punxsutawney, what should we do? The answer is simple—we must bring Groundhog Day to Drew. A New Jerseyan all-seeing groundhog weatherman would not be that out of the ordinary, because at one point, we had two! Lady Edwina of Essex county is a resident of the Turtle Back Zoo. Edwina replaced Ed the groundhog, known for oversleeping on his big day in 2022. 2022 was quite a year for the groundhogs, as Milltown Mel died only days before the big ceremony. A replacement groundhog has yet to step up into Mel’s place… so the role is still open.
Despite the Punxsutawney propaganda, groundhogs other than Phil can provide us with predictions. Weather is not the same everywhere, especially as climate change plunges us into the extremes, and we need a localized weather predictor extraordinaire here at Drew. Not to mention that our groundhogs actually hibernate, unlike Phil, who is on a Punxsutawney press junket 24/7. Actual hibernation allows our groundhogs to be more attuned to upcoming weather patterns. Since we humans do not know exactly when the weather will turn warm, maybe a groundhog could tell us when we should turn off the heating and prevent students from melting come spring.
We have at least two resident groundhogs living on campus; one under Faulkner House and another under Sycamore Cottage are confirmed to exist (a few more may be living in the ceiling of Sitterly, but the rumors have yet to be pursued). We are absolutely sure that one of them would be willing to assume the role of “weather predictor extraordinaire.” And while our own groundhogs may not have over a century’s worth of training in the field, we understand there’s no better time to start than the present!
In addition to its practicality, Groundhog Day is simply an amazingly wacky holiday chock-full of cultural significance. Drew has a large international population that has never had the chance to feel the joy (or sadness) of discovering whether four or six more weeks of winter is to follow, and it is prudent to share this fun piece of the American experience with those who are joining us from around the world.
On a more serious note, we owe the Drew groundhogs the respect they deserve, especially after our previously violent interactions with them. In 2019, according to a Feb. 22 edition of the Drew Acorn, “three shots were fired by an officer by the Madison Police Department, between Gilbert House and Sycamore Cottage.” This followed reports of it “acting strangely,” according to an email sent from the office of the president on Feb. 19 at 5:28 p.m. Not only was this a shocking moment for students and staff at the time, but it was also widely upsetting to the other groundhogs that have taken up residence here in the forest.
It is our hope that we can find a way to coordinate efforts between us humans and the groundhogs on campus to facilitate the celebration of the best holiday of the year. We understand that these changes cannot happen overnight, but if we start to take action now, maybe in 150 years or so, Drew University will be the new Gobbler’s Knob.
Jocelyn is a junior majoring in English, Chinese and history. Katie Carmichael is a junior majoring in English creative writing and minoring in education.
