When I was little, I would often pretend to be a hedgehog, which remains one of my favorite animals. I was thrilled when I learned tumbling in school, because I would envision myself as a hedgehog & could curl into a tight little ball, just like they do. because of this, I would call the February holiday Hedgehog Day instead. Later I learned that in Europe, it really WAS called Hedgehog Day and the name was changed after the Puritans came to North America, where we don't have the prickly little creatures in our gardens. Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family & are quite different.
So even though now I mostly celebrate Groundhog Day, a little part of me still yearns for the European version of the day and I still wish there were hedgies roaming in our yards.
