Onondaga Central
Every year, a furry, fat, groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil is raised up to be adored by millions. This little animal will decide whether winter will continue on for six more weeks or if it is over. While this tradition may seem absurd, the day is loved and celebrated by many, with the ceremony continuing today. But when and how did Groundhog’s day come about?
The first official Groundhog’s day was on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A man named Clymer Freas, a local newspaper editor was the mastermind behind this holiday. Once businessmen and groundhog hunters got onboard, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was formed. The men involved went to a site known as Gobbler’s Knob to initiate the first ceremony when the groundhog would bear the bad news of six more weeks of winter when he saw his shadow. In present days, the yearly festivities include a band composed of members of the Groundhog’s Club Inner Circle. The dignitaries wear top hats and conduct the proceedings in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. Tens of thousands of people come to the annual ritual, hosted in a town consisting of a population of a mere 6,000 people. Many of you may wonder how accurate the notorious groundhog is. Well, the answer is not very. Punxsutawney Phil has only been accurate 39% over the span of his legendary 134-year life. Phil has seen his shadow 104 times compared to the meager 19 times he has not seen it. Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks but belong to a large group of ground squirrels known as marmots. They can grow 25 inches long and can live for up to 10 years. So it is pretty miraculous that Punxsutawney Phil is so old. Also, Groundhogs spend the winter hibernating, which reduces their metabolic rate and body temperature, so by February, they can lose as much as half their body weight. When they are out and about during the rest of the year, the rodents eat plants, wild berries, and insects. Valentine’s Day comes and goes every year with or without a valentine. But did you know that the first valentine was sent from prison? Not a very romantic place is it? Charles, the Duke of Orlean, at age 21 was imprisoned during the Battle of Agincourt and wrote a love letter to his second wife. After being captured for 20 years, he never got to see his lover’s reaction to the valentine’s poem he wrote her. The saying “wearing your heart on your sleeve” originates from Valentine’s Day. Dating back to the Middle Ages, men would write down the names of the women who they wanted to accompany them to the Roman fest honoring Juno. After selecting, the men wore the name on their sleeve to show their bond during the festival's duration. Every year, the candy aisles in stores will be cleared out of the usual goodies and filled with valentines day candy, including the iconic heart-shaped conversation candies inscribed with loving messages on each one. However, these candies were not even candies to begin with! Oliver Chase invented a machine to quickly produce cough drops but then adapted the machine to create candy, later to be identified as Necco Wafers. Chase’s brother devised the idea to print messages on the candy in 1866 and were given a heart shape in 1901. However, not everyone wanted to receive a valentine from a suitor in the Victorian Era. “Vinegar Valentines” would be anonymously sent to those to show their rejection and as a comical insult to the admirers. The tone ranged from gentle and comical to aggressive and mean. Especially on Valentine’s Day, we sign our cards with “xoxo” but how did the “x” come to mean kiss? The use of “x” came to represent Christianity, or the cross, and, among other things, has roots in the Middle Ages. During this time, documents were signed off on with “x”. After marking the x, the writer would kiss the mark as a manifestation of their oath. The gesture soon grew among kings and commoners to certify books, letters, and paperwork. They were described as being “sealed with a kiss”. Less is known about the usage of “o” but theories have been formed such as also being a form of signature. Cupid has often been associated with Valentine’s day. The chubby baby with wings and a bow and arrow was known as the Greek God Eros, the god of love, being renamed Cupid. Eros was the son of Aphrodite, who used two sets of arrows, one for love and another for hate. It was not until the Romans that he adopted a childlike appearance we perceive today. Valentine’s Day was established to commemorate the death of the Saint Valentines, who died on February 14th. Two of them were executed during Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus’ reign when persecution of Christians was common. The Catholic Church initiated this day to honor the men. Some believe one of the saints, Valentine of Terni, has been secretly officiating weddings for Roman soldiers against the emperor's wishes. While others believe Valentine’s Day was designated by Pope Gelasius I to replace Lupercalia, the ancient Roman festival, which celebrated the Roman god of agriculture and Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus. Valentine’s Day is mostly celebrated in England and the U.S. In England, kids used to go “valentining,” or go door to door asking for treats, similar to trick-or-treating on Halloween. However, this tradition ended after getting out of control and sometimes even violent. In France, legend has it that women who were rejected by their desired valentine would burn a sculpture of the men in a bonfire, allegedly outlawing the holiday in the early 19th century. By the 1840s, the U.S. increased paper production and the cost of printing presses lowered, increasing the number of pre-printed cards, initiating the rise of commercialized Valentine’s Day.
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