The Groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow Feb 2nd and
predicted six more weeks of winter. Harmless little tradition? Or
does the day reflect ancient pagan practices? Lets have a brief look,
shall we?

The day is known as 'Candlemas' to Catholics or 'Imbolc' to those who
practice The Craft (Witchcraft). It is a pagan 'Sabbat' that
celebrates the midwinter return of the sun. 'Imbolc' means 'in the
belly' (of the Mother Earth Goddess). in reference to where the seeds
that contain the next harvest were starting to stir inside. (The
holiday was also sometimes called 'Oimelc'; meaning 'milk of ewes',
for it is also lambing season.)

At the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox,
it is tradition for every candle or lamp in the house to be lit for a
little while welcoming the return of the Sun. Some call it 'a Pagan
Festival of Lights.' The day's weather was still very important- If
the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it
meant six more weeks of wintry weather. For the early 'Christians' in
Europe, it was the custom on 'Candlemas Day' for clergy to bless
candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of
Winter. 'Candlemas' is the 'Christianized' name for the heathen
holiday. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home. This
pseudo-Christian festival is observed on February 2 to supposedly
honor 'the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple in
Jerusalem and the purification of the Virgin Mary'. It occurs on the
40th day after Christmas in accordance with the Jewish law that
required the ritual purification at the Temple of every mother of a
male child 40 days after the child's birth. The Catholic Church also
called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This 'christianizing' was really a masked effort to gain converts yet
the pagan origin does not honor Christ at all. Jer 10:2 Thus saith
the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at
the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the pagan
Irish Goddess Brigit - goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft,
poetry and healing. (***Note:another form of the name Brigit is Bride
and the goddess gave special patronage to any woman about to be
married or handfasted, the woman also being called 'bride' in her
honor.) One of the ancient customs of the holiday included weaving
straw or wheat into 'Brigit's crosses' to hang around the house 'for
protection'. A perfect entrance for Catholicism. To attract new
converts from the pagans, the Roman Catholic Church claimed Brigit
was a Catholic missionary they called 'Saint' Brigit, patron saint of
smithcraft, poetry, and healing (imagine that!). They 'explained'
this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early
Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles
she performed there 'misled' the common people into believing that
she was a goddess.

How does the groundhog fit in all this?

In 1723, the Delaware Indians were the first settlers to
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to the original pagan creation
beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their ancestors began life as
animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later through
reincarnations to live as men. The name woodchuck comes from the
Indian legend of "Wojak (Wo-chak), the groundhog" considered by them
to be their ancestral grandfather. The day's weather was still very
important- If the sun came out February 2 hence cause the woodchucks
shadow to appear, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. this was
in direct correlation with the pagan Imbolc holiday. When German
settlers arrived in Pa. later, they brought in their Catholic
Candlemas Day tradition. It was custom to gift the local poor worker
with a large candle at Candlemas. At sundown, the candle was lit and
rowdy dancing, drinking and revelry went on around it until the
candle-flame went out on its own.

Some pagan celebrations never change....some just take 'christian'
names.
Source: Truthontheweb.org