Groundhog Day is rooted in a German superstition that if an animal casts its shadow on February 2nd, which is the Christian holiday of Candlemas, bad weather is coming. (Candlemas is the feast of the purification of Mary, Jesus' mother, in the Catholic Church, and is so called because mass is preceded by the distribution of candles.)

Groundhog Day was first celebrated in the U.S. as a Pennsylvania German (so called Pennsylvania Dutch) custom around the 17th and 18th century. This tradition goes back even further in time when the ancient Romans conquered the Teutons or Germanic peoples in the north and brought this custom with them. If the groundhog came out of its den and cast a shadow, 6 more weeks of winter were imminent.

The ancient Celtic pagan festival of Imbolc, celebrated this same day, is traditionally a time of weather prediction, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to Groundhog Day. Fire and purification are important aspects of this festival. The lighting of candles and burning of bonfires in the snow represented the return of warmth and increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.

For more information on this holiday, see the book Groundhog Day in our collection. For more on Candlemas, see Celebrations of Light, also in our library collection.

A new database is searchable via Gale Virtual Reference Library called Countries of the World and Their Leaders. A compilation of the U.S. Department of State, it reports on contemporary political and economic conditions, government personnel and policies, political parties, religions, history, education, press, radio and TV, climate, health conditions, and travel and passport restrictions in every country. Search all of Gale Virtual Reference Library or expand the heading under "Nation and World" to click directly and open up Countries of the World and Their Leaders.

The 2010 Winter Olympics starts February 12 in Vancouver, BC and it's not too early to get enthused! Here are a list of websites pertaining to scheduled events, current news, Winter Olympics history and more. For an overview of the Winter Olympics, see "The Winter Olympics: An Insiders Guide to the Legends, the Lore and the Game" in Canton Library's collection. For other books on the Olympics for all ages, see the subject "Olympics" in our catalog.

If you like your Christmas spooky, then this book, Haunted Christmas, is for you. It contains 30 tales of Christmas hauntings including a history of haunted Christmases, specific cities (including Bethlehem) haunted at Christmas time, ghostly Christmas visits of historic persons and just generally creepy Christmas Eve and Christmas happenings throughout the world. Great for those who enjoy both Christmas and Halloween and wouldn't mind a blending of both!

If you've ever been asked, "Who is Saint Nicholas?"...

If you've ever wondered if he is just a commercial invention...

If you've ever thought there is no such person...

You may be surprised to know the true Saint Nicholas.

You'll never again think of Santa Claus in quite the same way.

Who doesn't love the thrill of reading a true ghost story? Check out some of the books on our Halloween display and take a "Spooky Sensations" bookmark to help you make your selections. Here are some suggestions to shoot shivers down your spine:

• The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House
• World's Most Haunted Places
• Unbelievable: Investigations Into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena
• Mammoth Book of True Hauntings
• Ghosts of the McBride House
• Haunting of America: From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini
• Haunted Theaters
• Michigan Haunts and Hauntings
• The Ghost Who Would Not Die
• Aaron's Crossing: An Inspiring True Ghost Story