This Friday is a widely observed holiday that has its roots in old European lore about the weather, according to farmersalmanac.com.

It is not a federal holiday, so your mail will be delivered and banks and schools will be open, and Groundhog Day is an occasion that people take with varying degrees of seriousness. Celebrated each year on Feb. 2, it falls on the same date as the medieval Christian feast of Candlemas, and the pre-Christian Imbolc. An old Scottish poem tells us that sunny weather on Candlemas means that winter will maintain its grasp on us for a while.

“Ancient Europeans had long held that badgers and hedgehogs could foretell the weather, and came to combine this belief with the rituals surrounding Candlemas. After emigrating to Southeastern Pennsylvania, early German-American settlers substituted groundhogs, which were plentiful in their new homeland,” the almanac states.

Here’s how our modern tradition works out. In places such as Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, that have a resident weather-forecasting rodent, the marmot is pulled from his burrow and placed outdoors to determine whether he will see his shadow. Lore states that if it is sunny and he does cast a shadow, winter will hang on for six more weeks. If it is cloudy and his shadow is not visible, spring will come soon.

“Punxsutawney Phil is the focal point of the oldest and largest annual Groundhog Day celebration, held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,” the almanac notes. “According to groundhog.org, 1886 marked the first time the event appeared in Punxsutawney newspaper, but 1887 was the first time the official trek to Gobbler’s Knob took place. That means that Groundhog Day 2024 will be the 138th celebration!”

But famous Phil is not the only prognosticator out there. There are several other groundhogs that preside over events across the nation, including our own Buckeye Chuck right here in Ohio.

Some other groundhog facts from the almanac:

Groundhogs, aka woodchucks, are a type of marmot, large rodents related to squirrels.

They have a large habitat, extending throughout most of North America, from Alaska to as far south as Alabama.

In the wild, groundhogs usually live two to three years but have been known to live up to six years. In captivity, they can live much longer. The original Wiarton Willie–one of Canada’s most famous prognosticators–lived to be 22 years old.

Groundhogs are typically 16-26 inches long and weigh 4 to 9 pounds, but they can weigh much more — Punxsutawney Phil weighs 20 lbs!

They actually have two coats of fur: a thick, wooly, grey undercoat and a longer coat of silky brownish hairs. This helps to keep them warm throughout the year.

Groundhogs prefer to eat wild grasses, leaves, berries, and, as any gardener who’s ever had one around knows, food crops. They will also occasionally eat nuts, insects, grubs, snails, and other small animals.

The average groundhog can move approximately 700 pounds of dirt when digging its burrow. Burrows can be up to 46 feet long and up to 5 feet underground.

They hibernate during the winter, usually between October and March or April, depending on the climate.

If in danger, they will produce a high-pitched alarm whistle to warn the rest of its family. This is how they got the nickname “whistle pig” in some regions. Other sounds include squeals, barks, and tooth grinding.

Enjoy the spectacle on Friday, and let’s all hope that Phil and Chuck and all the rest do not see their shadows when they emerge.