Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on

February 2, each year. In 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, on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the
groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six
more weeks.
When German settlers arrived in the United States in the 1700s, they brought a
tradition known as Candlemas Day. Candlemas Day came at the mid-point
between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Superstition told that if the
weather was nice on that day, the second half of Winter would be stormy and cold.
These settlers first celebrated "Groundhog's Day" in Punxsutawney in
Pennsylvania
In Europe, it was a badger that was watched with hope that he'd not see his
shadow. When settlers arrived in America, there were no badgers to be found. So
they adopted the groundhog as the new world's weather forecaster.
The groundhog was chosen because it wintered underground like the badger and
because the Native Americans in the region respected the animal greatly. They
considered the groundhog to be a wise and sensible animal.
Towns throughout North America are known to have winter-predicting
groundhogs. The most famous is Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania (immortalized in the movie Groundhog Day). There is also "Brandon
Bob" of Brandon, Manitoba; "Balzac Billy" in Alberta; "General Beauregard Lee"
in Lilburn, Georgia; "Shubenacadie Sam" in Nova Scotia; "Staten Island Chuck" in
New York; "Gary the Groundhog" in Kleinburg, Ontario, and "Wiarton Willie" in
Ontario, among many others.
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On
February 2, Groundhog Day of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates
their beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the
ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his
temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about two miles east of
town. According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the
United States will have six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow,
spring will arrive early. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library
with his "wife" Phyllis.
A club of Phil enthusiasts, known as the Punxsutawney "Save the Bearded Owls"
Club, take care of the famed rodent year-round. A select group, called the "Inner
Circle," plan the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable
by their top hats and tuxedos.
Of the 112 predictions made on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an
early spring 14 times (13 percent). As to his accuracy, according to the
Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, he is 100-percent accurate.
The movie “Groundhog Day” from 1993, starring comedian Bill Murray, made
Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania famous worldwide. The film's plot added new
meaning to the term “Groundhog Day” as something that repeats itself endlessly.
Before the movie Groundhog Day, around 2,000 people would come to
Punxsutawney to see Phil, but after it was released in 1993 it has pulled crowds of
up to 40,000.