SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
OK. So it is hard to deny that Groundhog Day is kind of a fun and silly holiday, but NPR's Avery Keatley offers a perspective on why the holiday is unique and important to American culture.
AVERY KEATLEY, BYLINE: It could be because I'm from Pennsylvania, but Groundhog Day has always felt like kind of a big deal.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANIMATED TV SHORT, "ONE MEAT BRAWL")
STAN FREBERG: (As Grover Groundhog, singing) A groundhog and his shadow are a very famous pair.
KEATLEY: I remember elementary school crafts and projects leading up to Groundhog Day and learning the folklore tradition of the groundhog seeing his shadow.
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UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR #1: Legend decreed that if the sun were shining when he came out of his burrow and he could see his shadow, the groundhog would be frightened and crawl back into his hole for six weeks more of winter hibernation.
KEATLEY: Even though I grew up far from Punxsutawney, the culture of Groundhog Day was strong, and it was fun. I remember the suspense and excitement over Punxsutawney Phil's predictions and being disappointed if they didn't come true.
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UNIDENTIFIED NEWSCASTER: Statistically, Phil is only right about 40% of the time.
KEATLEY: As a kid, of course, I was usually hoping for more winter and the chance for more snow days. But as I got older, there was less emphasis on Groundhog Day, less excitement and a lot fewer places to talk about the turning of the seasons, even as we heard more and more that our environment was changing.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Climate change intensified the hot and dry conditions...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: And almost everywhere on Earth, people experienced 41 additional days of dangerous heat.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: ...Unseasonable weather patterns.
KEATLEY: But at the same time, I was paying more attention to the four seasons, becoming more interested in connections between nature, agriculture and our shared human history.
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UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR #2: The sun follows a prescribed pattern around these stones.
KEATLEY: Across the globe, some of our most ancient temples and monuments are directly tied to turning points in the year, like 5,000-year-old Stonehenge, which aligns with the summer and winter solstices. But in the modern world, our connection to the turn of the seasons is fraying, and our holidays often focus more on the world we've created than the world of nature.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Weekly Black Friday deals you can't miss.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: And you don't have to wait until Memorial Day.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: All December long, come in and enjoy everything 35- to 50% off.
KEATLEY: In America, most of our holidays are tied to our national mythmaking. We celebrate towering figures like George Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. We commemorate our independence from foreign power and the emancipation of enslaved people. But none of our holidays specifically mark the changing of the seasons, except for one - Groundhog Day.
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KEATLEY: Roughly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Groundhog Day is a time of transition when we can see visible signs of the Earth changing. The sky stays lighter later into the evening and rises earlier in the morning. Migrating birds travel north, and the morning crackles with their songs.
(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)
KEATLEY: Groundhog Day may not be the most glamorous holiday we celebrate in America, but it does play a role that none of our other holidays fulfill. It reminds us that we are tied to the Earth, the seasons and the creatures who live here with us. At a time when the Earth is changing and our seasons with it, Groundhog Day offers us a chance to participate in one of the oldest human traditions, hoping for brighter days ahead. Avery Keatley, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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