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Candlemas was considered an excellent time for forecasting the weather since it was sort of a half-time during winter. Animals were thought to be good prognosticators of the weather and in Europe a badger was believed to have been blessed with special meterological forecasting powers.
If the badger came out of his hole at noon on a sunny February 2 and saw his shadow, he would go back inside and hibernate a few more weeks. If the day was gloomy and he found no shadow, he would remain outside, presaging an early spring.
He did all this without the aid of charts, barometers or radar but people took his actions to heart. They followed the custom that animals knew more than people did about certain things and if the badger predicted a long winter, they judged their supplies of wood and food accordingly.
Words of an old song illustrate that belief: ‘‘If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.
Longer Winter
In much of Europe, winter was supposed to have lasted from four weeks before Christmas until four weeks afterward but the Germans who emigrated to Pennsylvania found the winters more severe here. Hence, they bemoaned the six more weeks of winter heard of today.
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