Not a groundhog but a badger: An American holiday's Central European roots

Groundhog Day, which falls every year on Feb. 2, has another name in the Czech Republic: Hromnice. The two holidays are loosely related, as German-speaking settlers brought some Central European folk traditions with them to the U.S.

The day occurs halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, and traditionally had been regarded as the start of spring, though in modern times spring is calculated from around March 20.

There is a dispute as to whether the idea of using candles against storms has Slavic pagan roots, or if it came later.

While Feb. 2 was originally associated by Slavic pagans with Perun, the god of thunder and lightning, the same day for Christians was the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus, also known as Candlemas.

The blessing of candles at a special Christian mass on Feb. 2 had long been widespread beyond Slavic lands, and there is no mention of the candles being used by Slavs against storms before Christian times.

Candlemas marks Feb. 2 as the definitive end of the Christmas season. Jesus was finally presented in the local temple by Mary and Joseph, and the story of his infancy ends.

Candles are blessed in recognition of Jesus being the light of the world, and are lit throughout the year for purely devotional purposes. In countries outside the Slavic lands, the candles are not used to protect against lightning.

It is possible that the Candlemas candles became associated with existing pagan ideas of Perun awakening, and it became a hybrid folk custom. Slavic priests were certainly aware of the idea of the blessed candles being used against lighting and thunder. Local priests would distribute the candles to people throughout the year when storms were coming.

Hromnice in the Czech lands has more Christian connections. It was traditionally the day that the church Nativity scenes should be put away and Christmas decorations including the tree should be taken down. In practice, this is now usually done by Three Kings Day on Jan. 6.

Peasants would also go to the Candlemas celebration at the local church to pray for a year without storm damage as well as a good harvest.

There are many pagan and magical elements as well.

Another tradition was to go into the woods with a rock or hammer to knock on the sides of oak trees, one of Perun’s symbols, to remind him to wake up. People would also lift heavy objects such as a pig or a family member to give Perun strength.

Farmers were supposed to make a symbolic attempt at plowing a field to show the winter spirits it was time to leave. Planting for the next year should be planned out by Hromnice, and seeds should be checked.

Hromnice is also an important day for farmers to predict the weather for the rest of the year, so they know when to start planting.

There is a long Czech tradition of predicting the weather with folklore sayings. Each saying is a “pranostika.” The most famous one for Feb. 2 is: “On Hromnice about an hour more,” referring to days having grown substantially longer compared to the winter solstice. Several remind farmers they should have half of their hay and half their bread left.

There is a reason for the similarities. German settlers with similar traditions to the Czech ones took the idea to the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the center of Groundhog Day festivities.

Hedgehogs can’t be found in North America, so the German settlers picked the groundhog instead.

While some folk celebrations such as Čarodějnice on April 30, Masopust on the Tuesday before Lent, and even Krampus Night on Dec. 5 have made a comeback, sadly Hromnice and the magic anti-storm candles remain more of a curiosity.