Is there any connection between Imbolgc and Groundhog Day?

Question

I was just looking at the two and realized that Groundhog Day, at least now, is used to "determine the start of spring" and Imbolgc is a celebration of the beginning of Spring (close to the exact inbetween of Winter Solctice and Spring Equinox, where spring should start, not on the spring equinox you bloody Christians! jk, no offense...) And Since they are on or around the same day, are they connected? Perhaps back when certain religions and cultures (mainly Christianity) were taking some other religions' and cultures' traditions and using them to make theirs seem more appealing to others.

Answer 1

Not really. Closest connection is the belief that midway between Spring equinox & Winter that animals had special powers. Possibly because of the different settlers (in early America)origins is where groundhog day came from. So I guess you could say its a bit pagan.

Imbolic is one of the major fire festivals and is a Cross Quarter holiday. This is the festival of the lactating sheep. In the Gaelic, Imbolic means 'in the belly' (of the Mother). Most of the cattle and sheep have either given birth or their wombs are swollen and ready around this time of the year.

Being one of the first festivals of Spring, Imbolic is geared towards the return of the Fire Goddess, Brighid. This goddess is another aspect of the Triple Goddess, yet she herself has 3 aspects. And these three aspects are all depicted as being the same age, and not the “Mother-Maiden-Crone” trinity, and so she is often called The Three Mothers or The Triple Brigids. It is said that she breathes life into the mouth of the dead Winter to get him to open his eyes to the tears, the smiles, the sighs and the laughter of Springtime. The cold trembles for its safety on the day of this most Holy Goddess. She is honored as the Maiden and the Bride on this Sabbat. Celebrations of banishing the winter and welcoming the spring abound on this day throughout the Irish countryside. This seasonal holiday marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the Sun God. Finally recovered, she awakens and then Spring begins at last, bringing with it the first blossoms of new growth and hopefully the last of winter.

Groundhog Day is a traditional festival celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2. It is a cross-quarter day, midway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox.

In traditional weather lore, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is bright and clear, it will be frightened and run back into its hole, and the winter will continue for six more weeks.
Around the fifth century, the European Celts believed that animals had certain supernatural powers on special days that were half-way between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. [citation needed]Folklore from Germany and France indicated that when groundhogs and bears came out of their winter dens too early, they were frightened by their shadow and retreated back inside for four to six weeks.[citation needed] This was adopted by the Romans as Hedgehog Day.

When Christianity came into being, the formerly pagan observance also came to be called Candlemas.

The earliest known American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading, Pa. The reference was made Feb. 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

Answer 2

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/imbolc.html

From Mike Nichols:

It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas should be considered the beginning of spring. Here in the Heartland, February 2 may see a blanket of snow mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure the days are filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies—the dreariest weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a Pagan Festival of Lights. And as for spring, although this may seem a tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers, and leaves will have arrived on schedule before spring runs its course to Beltane.

“Candlemas” is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. Imbolc means, literally, “in the belly” (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows. Oimelc means “milk of ewes”, for it is also lambing season.
[...]
Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American folk calendar keeps the tradition of “Groundhog Day”, a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be “six more weeks” of bad weather (i.e., until the next Old Holiday, Lady Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that “if Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year”. Actually, all of the cross-quarter days can be used as inverse weather predictors, whereas the quarter days are used as direct weather predictors.

Answer 3

Actually Imbolc is halfway through the winter and the start of spring. It is the time of light for the coming of spring. Many of us use this time to get ready for the spring by getting our farming tools ready and for the blessing of the plow. Ostara is the start of spring for the grass turns green and the hens start to lay eggs as life returns to the Earth. I am sure Groundhog day does have some pagan origin but I am not aware of it.

The Christians did adopt Imbolc but it is most used by the Catholic church as a time they bless the candles to be used for the year.

The Solstices and Equinoxes start the season, not mark the middle of them. The major Sabbats, cross quarter days, mark the middle of the season, Imbolc - winter, Beltane - spring, Lughnasadh - summer, and Samhain - autumn.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 4

Well, Imbolc is more closely related to Candlemas (February 2nd as well) when Christians, interestingly enough, BURN CANDLES ALL NIGHT!! Go figure!!! Imbolc is all about burning candles throughout the night too!

Honestly, I don't know how Groundhog Day got mixed in there, but Candlemas is a direct rip-off from Imbolc.

BB
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Answer 5

I thought you were talking about the movie. Sorry : (