During a chilly ceremony conducted by the Union Kanaal Grundsau Lodsch #17 of Eastern Lebanon County Monday morning, Uni predicted six more weeks of winter, evidently seeing his shadow as he traversed the Tulpehocken Creek.
Lodge members braved several inches of snow built up along the edge of the Tulpehocken at Myerstown Recreation Park to place taxidermied-groundhog Uni and his boat in the creek.
They carefully navigated Uni down a short section of the creek, past several floating chunks of ice, in a boat decorated with America250PA flags.
Afterwards, he was lifted out of the water, still dry, and placed on a pedestal to share his forecast with lodge member and groundhog-whisperer Donald Hickernell.
Hickernell listened attentively, repeating what he heard in Pennsylvania Dutch. The Union Kanaal Grundsau Lodsch’s primary purpose is keep Pennsylvania Dutch (a dialect originated from “Deutsch,” or German) language and culture alive.
Of course, Hickernell was asked to translate to English for non-Pennsylvania Dutch speakers in the audience. Lebanon is in for six more weeks of winter, Hickernell said, adding: “He said to be sure to keep your snow shovel on the back porch. This could give some snow, and it’s going to give some cold weather yet, too.”
This pronouncement was met with boos from the crowd, presumably from attendees ready for warm spring weather.
Hickernell added that Uni hadn’t wanted to leave his hole that morning due to the cold — with a 30-degree high temperature Monday — but “he’s awful thankful that all you people came out to see him; he looks forward to this every year.”
Despite the chill, plenty of locals came out for the ceremony, albeit bundled up in winter coats, gloves, and hats. Few, however, were willing to follow lodge members into the snow.
Some took advantage of free amenities for attendees: hot chocolate or coffee for anyone in need of a pick-me-up.
This year marked the 45th anniversary of the event, which has been hosted by the Union Kanaal Grundsau Lodsch #17 of Eastern Lebanon County since 1981.
Snow on Groundhog Day is a fairly rare phenomena, especially with several inches that haven’t yet melted following the Jan. 25 storm.
Some 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, 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.”
There are plenty of groundhogs marking the occasion throughout Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil, in western PA, has garnered the most fame. Lebanon County also boasts a second furry meteorologist: Mount Gretna’s Grady, who has been making forecasts since 2018.
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