Only the Shadow Knows...

German Word of the Day: 𝙈𝙪𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧 (Groundhog)

Do I look like a hog to you? I prefer to be called 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘢 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘹, thank you very much. Or Phil.

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝘅𝘀𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘄𝗻𝗲𝘆: Tell us, O Great Clairvoyant Rodent - Will there be six more weeks of winter?

𝗣𝘂𝗻𝘅𝘀𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘄𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹: Don't you people have calendars?

What does Groundhog Day have to do with a German Restaurant? Well, even though we don't serve groundhog (and don't have any plans to introduce Schnitzel a la Rodent to the menu), it interests us because it was the German immigrants who came to be known as Pennsylvania Dutch who brought with them the tradition that if on The Festival of 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮𝘀 (February 2) the weather were sunny, it foreboded a longer winter.

Among many other traditions on this February 2nd Christian Holy Day, candles are lit to commemorate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Having the ceremonial presentation of an animal who would predict the coming of spring by whether he saw his shadow on February 2nd dates back to a time when bears served as the prognosticating beast, which later became the badger, and then the groundhog. In Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch (Pennsylvania Dutch, which of course is derived from German, not Dutch), Groundhog Day is known as Grundsau dak, among other regional variants.

We don't know about you, but having six more weeks of winter (as Phil predicted this morning) sounds too good to us! 8 months of summer is better than 10. :)

#murmeltier #groundhog #groundhogday #germanrestaurant #germanfood #candlemas