Every February 2nd, a small ceremony takes place in the town of Punksitone, Pennsylvania.

A crowd will gather to see if a hibernating rodent can see its shadow.

The results of said shadow seeing are supposed to have implications for the long-term weather forecast.

If all that sounds a bit absurd, you are not wrong.

And then there's also something about a movie that

really has nothing to do with Groundhogs. Learn far more about Groundhog Day than you ever really

needed to know on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Music I've done many episodes on holidays, and a common theme in a lot of them is that many of them are actually of ancient origin.

But in the case of Groundhog Day, however, well, the origins are also ancient.

The roots of Groundhog Day can trace back thousands of years to the festival of Embalic,

a Gaelic festival marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

Ancient Celt celebrated this time as the beginning of spring, observing natural signs to try and

predict the remainder of winter.

Embalick has deep roots in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland, and is tied closely to the rhythms

of pastoral life.

The name is usually linked to old Irish words associated with milk or purification,

reflecting the time when ewes began to lactate, and the first signs of agricultural renewal appeared.

For early farming communities, this was a crucial moment.

Food stores were low, and the return of milk represented survival as much as hope.

Embolic is strongly associated with Bridget, one of the most important figures in Gaelic tradition.

In her pre-Christian form, Bridget was a goddess of fire, healing, poetry, fertility, and Smithcraft.

These domains fit the festival of embolic perfectly.

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