what year did they change groundhog day from feb 14 to feb 2?

Answer 1

Groundhog Day never was on February 14.

Even if it had been prior to the English-speaking world adopting the Gregorian Calendar in the 1730's, it STILL wouldn't have been changed to February 2, because 11 days were lost in the transition, which would have made it February 3, not February 2.

Finally, I think that Groundhog Day is uniquely American. I don't think it was known in Britain, although I seem to recall hearing that in some parts of Germany there was a similar legend of a burrow-dwelling animal being a predictor of an early spring. Whether this critter came out of his home on February 2 or not, I can't say. However, many Germans settled in Pennsylvania, and Punxsutawney Phil is in Punxsutawney, PA--so maybe there IS an Old World connection.

Answer 2

It was never on February 14, it has always been on Candlemas, February 2. It is about half way between winter solstice and the spring equinox. (Even after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, precession of the equinoxes has made it only about halfway.)

The earliest precursor of "Groundhog Day" I found in my research is from Roman times, from the first site cited:

The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, supposedly brought this tradition to the Teutons, or Germans, who picked it up and concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which they interpolated as the length of the "Second Winter."

Answer 3

Around the same time the Germans incorporated the hedgehog in the Candlemas sevices.

Answer 4

it never was the14th, thats valentines day