There are three main holidays in February: Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day and President’s Day. Although a federal holiday, President’s Day does not have major celebrations or traditions, so it can’t be the best. Between Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day is currently more celebrated. However, it should be the other way around. Groundhog Day should be the most important holiday in February and much more widely celebrated than Valentine’s Day.
Groundhog Day is a traditional holiday where a groundhog predicts the length of winter. If the groundhog sees its shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, then there will be an early spring. In Pennsylvania, our groundhog is called Punxsutawney Phil. Although his predictions are usually inaccurate, it is still a fun tradition.
Valentine’s Day, on the other hand, originated as a feast honoring Saint Valentine. Now, it celebrates romantic love and relationships, with common symbols including Cupid, hearts and chocolate.
The problem that I have with Valentine’s Day is not with the holiday itself. People can do whatever they want on Valentine’s Day. However, as far as overall culture is concerned, Groundhog Day deserves a bigger spot. Groundhog Day is more accessible to people without a romantic partner. Across all walks of life, there is not a single person who could not appreciate Punxsutawney Phil. In addition, Groundhog Day is just more fun than Valentine’s Day. The absurdity of watching a groundhog to predict the seasons makes Groundhog Day overall extremely delightful.
What’s more, Groundhog Day is much better for commercialization than Valentine’s Day. As with most holidays, businesses like Target take advantage of the festivities to sell custom “themed” products and push sales. This has already happened with Valentine’s Day, with Target promoting pink decor, clothing and candy as soon as early January. Imagine if instead of pink, love and hearts, Target was full of groundhog plushes, Punxsutawney Phil shirts and matching “spring” and “winter” themed decorations.
We could fill our houses with Valentine’s Day merchandise for a day that will come and go and change little about our overall lives. Or … we could embrace the whimsy of Groundhog Day by wearing our Punxsutawney Phil merchandise as we tune into the news broadcast with anticipation to see how much longer winter will last.
While Punxsutawney Phil may often be incorrect in his prediction, he is still a source of community pride and ushers in hope during a dreary time of year. Some consider February one of the worst months of the year, and it really needs a good holiday to uplift spirits and help the winter pass. Groundhog Day is the perfect holiday for the second month of the year. Now we just need some Groundhog Day songs for the Troubadours to sing!
