Happy Groundhog Day!!

So what is with this day anyway? There is an old saying that states, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May. . .” Hence the shadow causing snow, even though one would think that it would mean warmer weather. And the groundhog? Well it is a German holiday and they were most likely drinking up all the beer before Lent when they invented the day. (Which started with a badger.) And of course today is Candlemas or Purification Day or the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus. So what’s with that? Well, today is 40 days after Christmas and according to Jewish law a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after giving birth to a son. So on the 40th day they would go to the temple, offer sacrifices and be purified. This day was also the 1st time Jesus would have been to the temple. Over time it was also the day that the candles for the year were blessed and distributed giving it the name Candlemas.