And now it's time for who's smarty. Hey, smarty pants, when it's the beginning of February, and you just can't wait for winter to end, where's the best place to go? Okay, I'm hearing warm spots like Florida, Hawaii, the Caribbean. Ooh, someone said the Canary Islands. Yep, those are all nice. But I'm talking about a place where there's a big annual celebration with tens of thousands of people who wake up early in the morning and gather in the shivering cold to get a weather report of sorts from a groundhog. Yep, it's a thing. Smarty pants, welcome to Punxitani Pencilvania, home of the world famous groundhog, Punxitani Phil. People around these parts say this particular groundhog has a special magical ability. Do you know what it is? Is it a, Phil can predict the weather? B, Phil can change colors, or a C, Phil can fly. The answer, of course, is A, Phil can predict the weather. Hello. Allegedly. Now, let's see how well you know the legend. If Phil comes out of his hole in the ground on Ground Monday and sees his shadow, does it mean we should expect more or less winter weather ahead? The answer is... This is Shepnickerson reporting live from Punxitani Pencilvania, where the groundhog has just seen his shadow. That means six more weeks of winter. B, butter, that are bundled up trusty. Yep, seeing a shadow means more winter, and no shadow means springtime is right around the corner. What do you think of that, Smarty pants? I think it's a sham. A sham? That's right, a sham, a sarad, a fake, a fraud, pure make believe. That's some accusation, and you are... Call me babe. Babe? As in, Babe Ruth, the legendary baseball player? No, as in, babe the badger. Ah, yes, I failed to note that you are a short squat furry creature with sharp claws and a long pointy snout. Not a legendary baseball player. Nope, although I was pretty legendary back in the day. You see, before the groundhog, people counted on me to predict the weather. Are you saying groundhog day used to be... Badger day? That's right. But while I was a huge part of the holiday, the idea behind it goes way way back. Hmm, Smarty pants. When did the bizarre practice of getting weather predictions from groundhogs? What badgers? Or badgers? Begin. And how often is the groundhog or badgers? Weather predictions, correct. And what do we mean when we say something is, like groundhog day? It's time for another whiff of history and science on... Hello, Smarty! Who's Smarty? Who's Smarty? Who's Smarty? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up! Everyone! We make smarty! Lots of fun on how smarty! Quick question. What is a groundhog? Is it a giant squirrel? B, a woodchuck, or C, a rodent known as a mormon? The answer is...all three. Groundhogs and woodchucks are the same thing, and they're closely related to that familiar rodent, the squirrel. Groundhogs are furry creatures close in size and wait to a pet cat. They live in multi-level underground burrows, some longer than 65 feet or 20 meters. As such, they have a real talent for digging holes, but what about weather forecasting? I think it's a sham. A sham? That's right, a sham. A serade, a fake, a fraud. Pure mate believed. Hold on. Aren't you... Call me babe. Right, and then I said, as in Babe Ruth, the legendary baseball player. And you said... No, as in Babe the Badger. Hold on. Haven't we had this conversation before? Evwe? You also said Groundhog Day used to be Badger Day. I did, and it was. But not at the very beginning. This holiday goes back well before Groundhogs and Badgers. Can you guess how far back it goes? Smileypants, how old is the earliest version of Groundhog Day? 200 years? A thousand years? 2000 years? The roots of Badger! Groundhog Day, go back more than 2000 years to prehistoric times. Historians believe it was all started by the Celts. The Celtic people are associated with Ireland, but in prehistoric times they were all over Europe. And these people had four major festivals each year. Saoen, Embolk, Belten and Lunasa. Smileypants, can you guess what these four festivals celebrated? Was it A, Faces of the Moon? B, Changing Seasons? Or C, Askipold Championships? If you said B, Changing Seasons, you're right. The seasons are very important since they impact fishing and farm crops. You know, the food supply? These days, a season changes at a solstice, which is the shortest or longest day of the year. Or, at an Equinox, a day when daylight and night time are about equal. But centuries ago, people marked seasonal changes at a day halfway between a solstice and Equinox. So, instead of March, June, September and December, seasons changed to on May 1st, August 1st, November 1st and Ta-da! February 1st. But Groundhog Day is celebrated February 2nd. She, don't you think I know that? Stupid Groundhog. Anyway, the Caltech holiday on February 1st, Embolk, Storange, to sundown on February 2nd. Ah, I see. Hundreds of years later, when Christianity spread through Europe, people didn't want to lose the ancient Caltech holidays. So, they simply renamed them. Belten became May Day, which is still a huge holiday in Europe. So, we became all Saints Day, also a holiday today. And of course, the evening before is Halloween! Trick or treat! Lunasa, in August, became something called Wolfmas Day, which had something to do with bread. Today, it's known as Spider-Man Day. Spider-Man Day? Yeah, Wolfmas didn't stick. But Spider-Man created in August of 1962, sure did. But that don't matter. The day we care about is Embolk, which became... Groundhog Day? Candle Mass. Oh, yeah. It was a day when Christians brought candles to church for a blessing. But get this. People didn't give up their weather superstitions. They were concerned about their crops, especially on that day. Can you guess what they thought would happen if it rains on Candle Mass? Smurdy pants, do you think people were upset or happy if it rained on Candle Mass? Yeah, listen to a poem from 1678, read by World Renowned Weather Fortune Teller, Virga. Yes, yes! Here is my prediction. If Candle Mass Day be fair and bright, winter will have another flight. If on Candle Mass Day it be shower and rain, winter is gone and we will not come again. Thank you. I predict much happiness and sunshine in your future. Hey, don't blame me. I is just a messenger. Wait, are you saying people wanted rain on Candle Mass Day because they thought it would mean an early spring? That's what we're saying. Smurdy pants, does that sound familiar? Yep, it's just like how the Groundhog made predict an early spring. You mean Badger, it was Badger Day first. Right. Smurdy pants, any guesses who came up with Badger Day? Was it A, the Romans, B, the French, or C, the Germans? Here is the answer in musical form. That's right, it's C, the Germans. The Germans also believed a sunny Candle Mass meant another six weeks of miserable winter weather, but apparently they needed proof whether it was sunny or not. Hello, just look outside the window. But no, instead they looked at badges and other small critters. According to legend, if the sun was out on Candle Mass these animals would cast a shadow and would crawl back into their holes and winter would continue. The Germans would eventually call Candle Mass Badger Day. Right. So how did Badger Day become Groundhog Day? You can thank your fellow Americans for that, specifically the German immigrants who came to America in the 1700s. Smurdy pants, when Germans came to America in what state did many of them settle? Was it Florida, Vermont, or Pennsylvania? The answer is C, Pennsylvania. And Pennsylvania, of course, is where the most famous Groundhog Day celebration takes place in a town called Pux-Itani. And just like the old Candle Mass Day tradition, if the Groundhog formerly the Badger sees its shadow, it predicts six more weeks of winter. I think it's a shame. Yes, you said that already. Call me babe. I know. You're babe the Badger. I swear we've done all this before. Oh really? So you know Groundhog Day was once Badger Day? Yes, but Smurdy pants. Can you guess why German immigrants switched from Badgers to Groundhogs? Was it because A, Badgers by people? B, Badgers were hard to find in Pennsylvania. Or C, Groundhogs are more intelligent. Hey, Badgers are just as smart as Groundhogs. Possibly, but that's not the answer. The answer is B, Badgers are scarce in Pennsylvania. But you know what there are a lot of? That's right. Groundhogs. And since Groundhogs are similar to Badgers, they ditched me for him. And on February 2nd, 1887, some guys from Punxitoni continued the Badger Day, Groundhog Day tradition, with a silly little public ceremony. And this ceremony continued year after year until it grew into a massive thing. And that's how this Groundhog, Punxitoni Phil, became a huge star. And not babe the Badger. To be fair, Phil did have some help from a hit movie. The same movie that got people to say, it's just like Groundhog Day, when a certain thing happens. What thing? I'll tell you, right after this quick break. Spring is here, and if you're a homeschool family trying to finish the year strong, I want to tell you about IXL. It's the award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into your homeschool routine. Covering math, language arts, science, and social studies from pre-K through 12th grade. What I love most about IXL is how it adapts to each child's pace. Whether your kid needs to reinforce foundational skills before an assessment or push ahead into new material, IXL meets them exactly where they are, with no pressure and real encouragement built right in. Kids earn rewards, see their own progress, and actually feel good about learning. And for parents, the real-time progress tracking is a game-changer. You always know exactly where your child stands. Plus, it makes learning fun, and you know I love that. Over 15 million students use IXL, and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states. So make an impact on your child's learning. Who smarted listeners get an exclusive 20% off at IXL.com slash smarted? That's IXL.com slash smarted for your 20% off. And now back to Who Smarted. Smarty Pits, you've heard how the world's most famous groundhog, Punxitani Phil, started predicting the weather on February 2nd. And how often are Phil's predictions? Correct. 9 out of 10 times? 7 out of 10 times? Or 5 out of 10 times? Well, according to American and Canadian weather services, Phil is right about... Half the time. Or 5 out of 10 times. Maybe even less. Yet every year, thousands of people still flock to Pennsylvania to hear his prediction. I think it's a shan. Oh no, not again. That's right, I shan. I charade, I fake, I'm fraud. Pure make believe. I don't understand. Call me babe, babe the badger. We've done this already. It's just like... Like what? Like Groundhog Day? It is? Did you see a shadow? No, no not that. When people feel like life is repeating itself for their stuck in a loop that's doing the same thing over and over again, they'll say it's like Groundhog Day. And what's that got to do with Groundhogs? Nothing, it comes from a funny movie called Groundhog Day, in which the main character repeats the same day over and over and over, which also happens to be Groundhog Day. Well it's Groundhog Day, again. Every morning he wakes up to find everyone saying and doing the same things, and he's forced to live through an endless loop of Groundhog Day. And you're saying that's happening now to you. Yep, oh wow, when does it end? Hopefully by the next episode of Who Smarted. But you know what, if this day keeps repeating, it isn't the worst. I got the smarty pants, smarting with me. Nice. And I've got the crowds, the hope of spring. And of course, the Groundhog. Hey, what about me? Oh and yes, I've got you, babe. A super-sized shout-out to Sophia B in Douglas, Massachusetts. I hear you love Who Smarted because it teaches you cool facts about cool subjects. So that makes you pretty cool in my book. Happy Smarting Sophia. This episode Groundhog Day was written by Dave Badger-Bodery and voiced by Punxitani Phil Jeremy, Olivia the Oracle Davis, Adam Chuck Stavis and Jerry Colburn. Technical direction and sound design by Josh hates the winter hot. Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios. Our associate producer is Max Sonny Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian, No Shadow, Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Textavis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Textavis and Jerry Colburn. This has been an atomic entertainment production.
