The origin of Groundhog’s Day can be traced to a pre-Christian celebration called the “Festival of Lights’ which celebrated winter giving way to spring. This “Festival of Lights’ inspired the Christian festival of Candlemas Day (February 2) when the years’ supply of candles was blessed. The following proverb, author unknown, was sometimes used on this day to predict the weather:
If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will have another fight
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain
Winter won’t come again
The German used the following proverb which incorporated a badger:
The badger peeps out of his hole on Candlemas Day, and, if he finds snow, walks abroad;
But if he sees the sun shining he draws back into his hole
In American the badger became a ground or a woodchuck. Either a badger could not be located or it was considered much safer to use a groundhog as badgers can be nasty critters.