Photo of St. Brigid's Well &
the 12th Station of the Cross by Jen Hanen

According to Phil, it is 6 more weeks of winter. Today dawned bright, clear, and very windy. After the big winds of today and yesterday, SoCal will need more rain very soon...

According to the Weather Corner:

Groundhog Day has its roots in an ancient Celtic celebration called Imbolog. This date is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In an agrarian society that was very dependent on the weather, this was a time to celebrate having made it halfway through winter. The superstition arose that if the weather was fair on Imbolog, the second half of the winter would be cold and stormy, but if the weather was cold and overcast or stormy, the second half of the winter would be mild.

In Christian times, Feb. 2 was celebrated as Candlemas, but the earlier Imbolog superstition continued. In Scotland they said, ``If Candlemas be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year'' and in England, they said, ``If Candlemas be sunny and warm, ye may mend your mittens and look for a storm.''

The Romans learned of this tradition from the Celts, and eventually brought them to the area that became Germany. German immigrants brought these beliefs to Pennsylvania, and the tradition of predicting the weather became centered on the woodchuck, or groundhog.

About.com is kind enough give the low down on Imbolc:

Today marks Candlemas, the Festival of Lights, the Midwinter Festival. Known to Neopagans and ancient Celts as Imbolc (Gaelic origin, "in milk), a festival of the Maiden Goddess and a traditional time to bless agricultaral implements (especoially the Plough) and livestock.

Neopagans celebrate the holiday with home blessings and lighting candles to welcome the coming of the light and the Goddess in Spring.

In Ireland, the day is the festival of St. Bridget, a holdover from celebrations oif the Celtic Goddess Brigid. Traditional "corn dollies" and "Bridget's crosses" are fashioned from straw.

Today, February 2nd, is also my father, Campbell Hanen's birthday. Happy Birthday, Cam!

I have loved Groundhog's Day for a number of years, as it is whimsical and bordering on downright silly. I like under-appreciated holidays that don't have the full weight of 8 weeks of marketing blitz behind it.

More from About.com's Landscape guy on the Origins of Groundhog's Day.