Groundhog’s Day, what is it and what does it have to do with a small beaver-looking rodent name Puxatawney from a small town in Pennsylvania and his so called “prediction” of the weather? Well, it’s been kinda funny trying to find out on why such an animal has such an effect on people and what it tells us on whether it’s gonna be an early spring or more winter weather (today, it happens to see his shadow and we’re gonna be looking at 6 more weeks of winter). Well, there is a history to the story of America’s Most Famous Weather Rodent and how he became so famous and why we celebrate this “holiday”.
Groundhog’s Day is a popular North American tradition that is observed every February 2nd. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrows on this day andsees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and we will endure 6 more weeks of winter weather, but if it doesn’t see its shadow then we are in for an early spring. While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.
The weather lore was brought by German-speaking areas where the badger is the forcasting animal. This appeared to be an enhanced version of the lore that clear weather on the Christian festival of Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter.
The Groundhog Day ceremony is held in Puxatawney, Pennsylvania a small western town, centering on a semi-mythical groundhog name Puxatawney Phil, who is believed to predict the longation of winter or an early spring arriving. Whether people want to take the word of an animal who just pokes his head out to see its shadow just to predict the weather is entirely up to them, for if there is going to be a longer winter then hopefully it doesn’t bring a blizzard or colder weather!
Leave a Reply