Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

This season belongs to Brigid, the Celtic goddess who in later times became revered as a Christian saint. Originally, her festival on February 1 was known as Imbolc or Oimelc, two names which refer to the lactation of the ewes, the flow of milk that heralds the return of the life-giving forces of spring. Later, the Catholic Church replaced this festival with Candlemas Day on February 2, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and features candlelight processions. The powerful figure of Brigid the Light-Bringer overlights both pagan and Christian celebrations.

The above snippet I copied from Celtic Spirit's web page. It was written in 1999 by Mara Freeman. For more information on Imbolc and Candlemas, please visit the Imbolc section on the Celtic Spirit site.

I was going to give yall a link to the Punxsutawney Phil web page but it is BEYOND lame and stupid, so I refuse. Google it if you must, just don't bother with the FAQ page. However, the Groundhog page of the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) is not bad. Not bad at all. A fairly accurate history of how the holiday came to be.