groundhog day

Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were Germans... They determined that the groundhog, resembling the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, so wise an animal as the groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another six weeks of winter. The Germans recited: For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, So far will the snow swirl until the May.