It’s probably no surprise that by February 2nd, we’re looking forward to the end of winter. January seems to last forever, we’re depleted of vitamin D, and spring starts to feel like it’s within reach. I’ve been planning my garden and am anxious to see the last of the snow. Ancient Europeans must have felt the same way because February 2nd is a traditional day for predicting the weather in many European cultures.
American Groundhog Day is a well-known holiday, thanks in part to the Bill Murray movie, and it seems to have been brought to this continent by the Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch). Earlier Germans held a similar belief that if the badger sees its shadow on February 2nd, we’ll have six more weeks of winter. Some Eastern European cultures said it was the bear who predicted spring–if it woke from hibernation and saw its shadow, it would be frightened back into its den for six more weeks of winter.
But it didn’t always take an animal to predict spring. In the British Isles, it was simply a matter of looking at the sky on February 2nd, or Candlemas, the day people brought their candles to the church to be blessed (appropriate for a time when we’re looking forward to more light). Old rhymes say, “If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight,” and, “If Candlemas be fair and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”
The Medieval Celts believed that the Cailleach–the hag of winter or winter goddess–refreshed her firewood stores on Imbolc, February 1st, the beginning of the Celtic spring. If the day was sunny and bright, she would gather a lot of firewood, meaning a longer winter. If it was cloudy or stormy, she would gather less or sleep, so winter would soon end.
Whichever method you like to use for predicting spring, let’s hope it comes soon!
Quill Pen and Blotter 