[TruthTalk] Truth On GroundHog Day

[Marlin Halverson]

From: WWW.TRUTHONTHEWEB.ORG   Truth On GroundHog Day The Groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow Feb 2nd and predicted six more weeks of winter. Harmless little tradition? Or does the day reflect ancient pagan practices? Lets have a brief look, shall we? The day is known as 'Candlemas' to Catholics or 'Imbolc' to those who practice The Craft (Witchcraft). It is a pagan 'Sabbat' that celebrates the midwinter return of the sun. 'Imbolc' means 'in the belly' (of the Mother Earth Goddess). in reference to where the seeds that contain the next harvest were starting to stir inside. (The holiday was also sometimes called 'Oimelc'; meaning 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.) At the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, it is tradition for every candle or lamp in the house to be lit for a little while welcoming the return of the Sun. Some call it 'a Pagan Festival of Lights.' The day's weather was still very important- If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. For the early 'Christians' in Europe, it was the custom on 'Candlemas Day' for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter. 'Candlemas' is the 'Christianized' name for the heathen holiday. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home. This pseudo-Christian festival is observed on February 2 to supposedly honor 'the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem and the purification of the Virgin Mary'. It occurs on the 40th day after Christmas in accordance with the Jewish law that required the ritual purification at the Temple of every mother of a male child 40 days after the child's birth. The Catholic Church also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This 'christianizing' was really a masked effort to gain converts yet the pagan origin does not honor Christ at all. Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the pagan Irish Goddess Brigit - goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing. (***Note:another form of the name Brigit is Bride and the goddess gave special patronage to any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman also being called 'bride' in her honor.) One of the ancient customs of the holiday included weaving straw or wheat into 'Brigit's crosses' to hang around the house 'for protection'. A perfect entrance for Catholicism. To attract new converts from the pagans, the Roman Catholic Church claimed Brigit was a Catholic missionary they called 'Saint' Brigit, patron saint of smithcraft, poetry, and healing (imagine that!). They 'explained' this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed there 'misled' the common people into believing that she was a goddess. How does the groundhog fit in all this? In 1723, the Delaware Indians were the first settlers to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to the original pagan creation beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their ancestors began life as animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later through reincarnations to live as men. The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of "Wojak (Wo-chak), the groundhog" considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather. The day's weather was still very important- If the sun came out February 2 hence cause the woodchucks shadow to appear, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. this was in direct correlation with the pagan Imbolc holiday. When German settlers arrived in Pa. later, they brought in their Catholic Candlemas Day tradition. It was custom to gift the local poor worker with a large candle at Candlemas. At sundown, the candle was lit and rowdy dancing, drinking and revelry went on around it until the candle-flame went out on its own. Some pagan celebrations never change....some just take 'christian' names.