Groundhog Day and Knoxville

Groundhog Day is a peculiar holiday. We don’t expect Groundhog Day dinners, Groundhog Day gifts, Groundhog Day songs. But still, there it is, every February 2nd. It’s almost like the 1993 film starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowall: it always seems the same. Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, and we always have six more weeks of winter. Repeat.

Numerous holidays seemed to pop up in the years just after the Civil War, especially between 1865 and 1880, including Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, and Halloween. Others like Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas became more popular and more extravagantly celebrated that they ever had been before. 

If you’ve lived in Knoxville for more than a couple of months, you likely already know that we’re well within Groundhog Country. But what is its history here?

Join us on this short episode of how Groundhog Day is grounded in the ancient Catholic holiday of Candlemas, held on the second of February, and how it developed here in the second half of the 19th century.

Written by Jack Neely and narrated by Josh Brandon. Special thanks to producer Pete Carty. 

Knoxville Chronicles is brought to you by the nonprofit Knoxville History Project. 
  
Learn more at KnoxvilleHistoryProject.org