Parkview Healthcare Facility's Parkview Outlook February 2016

3 Well-Grounded The Story of Groundhog Day www.activityconnection.com Why celebrate a rodent? There are religious holidays of all types, national holidays that honor heroes and events, and even silly holidays like National Candy Corn Day that we celebrate “just for fun.” But a day devoted to a chubby rodent that spends a lot of time underground? Now that’s a holiday worth discussing. Like many unusual holidays, this one goes back centuries. Early European Christians celebrated the Feast of the Presentation, honoring the day when Mary and Joseph first brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after his birth on Christmas Day. Later, this became the day when priests blessed the candles—candle mass—used in this celebration. Candlemas Day, Feb. 2, merged with other preChristian celebrations, marking the first possible day when hibernating animals might awaken and the end of winter was in sight. Candlemas Day and the Hedgehog Ancient wisdom from the United Kingdom maintains that if there is nice weather on Candlemas Day, harsh winter weather will follow:  If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, Winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. The Romans brought the Candlemas Day w

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