Can’t wait until Feb. 2 to see Uni, the weather-forecasting whistle-pig of Myerstown? A special event celebrating the meteorological marmot is scheduled nearly two weeks before Groundhog Day dawns over this lonely burrow.
Union Kanaal Grundsau Lodsch #17 of Eastern Lebanon County, a group of men dedicated to preserving their Pennsylvania Dutch roots, have hosted the annual Grundsau Versammling since 1981.
The gala is held each year in honor of Uni, who is just one of many groundhogs in the commonwealth who pop their heads out of their burrows at sunrise every Feb. 2 to see if spring will come early or if winter will keep its cold grip on the region for another six weeks.
Read More:
- ‘Uni’ isn’t short for unique, but it could be
- Union Canal Groundhog Lodge #17 celebrates 40 years of preserving Pennsylvania Dutch culture
This year, the Grundsau Versammling will begin promptly at 12:17 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Rescue Fire Company in Mount Aetna.
According to a release from the Grundsau Lodsch, the banquet features traditional Pennsylvania German fare and entertainment in the dialect. Members note that speaking “Dutch” is not a requirement to attend and enjoy the event.
Tickets are $25 per person and must be purchased in advance. Call Zeddelmann John Zartman at 717-949-3055 or email him at jszartman@gmail.com by Friday, Dec. 31 to reserve tickets.
A little historical perspective
Groundhog Day – although observed throughout North America and popularized by the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell – has deep roots in the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.
According to an article collected by the Library of Congress for its American Folklife Center project, Groundhog Day “is celebrated in many places in the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on tongue-in-cheek humor and ceremonious proclamations. It is best known among people whose ancestors spoke German, especially the Pennsylvania Dutch.”
The holiday sprouted from an ancient European pagan holiday known as Imbolc, which was later Christianized as the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the Irish feast of St. Brigid, and Candlemas. “But the tradition of predicting the weather persisted through many of the holiday’s variations,” the article notes.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know that much else about how ancient Celts celebrated Imbolc, but its importance as the first day of spring persisted to living memory,” it states. “Weather prognostication, then, became associated with the beginning of February during ancient times, and the tradition persists until today. But this still leaves us in the dark as to the groundhog and his role in the process!”
In Europe, notably, the forecasting tradition belonged to the humble badger, rather than the groundhog, “but the traditions are otherwise almost identical.” The European badger, like the American groundhog, is “a small, hibernating, forest-dwelling mammal known for being very shy, and it was only natural for German-speaking immigrants to America to substitute the groundhog for the badger.”
Groundhog Day customs have led to “a fascinating development in Pennsylvania Dutch country: the ‘Groundhog Lodges,’ a loose organization of social clubs focused on the maintenance of Pennsylvania Dutch language and culture. The lodges, which hold meetings called ‘versammlinge,’ at which participants speak only Pennsylvania Dutch, have existed since the 1930s.”
The Union Canal Groundhog Lodge #17, or Union Kanaal Grundsau Lodsch #17, has been marking the occasion on the Tulpehocken Creek for more than four decades. Uni, the local celebrity who forecasts the weather, is a stuffed woodchuck who observes his shadow – or lack thereof – by boat.
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