Groundhog Day
Everything you ever wanted to know about Groundhog Day!
Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!
Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking "groundhog punch," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.
On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."
Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.
posted by rzdesign @ 10:12 PM
5 Comments:
and what did Br'er Groundhog say for this Groundhog's Day?
By the way, it was one of my favorite movies. And is it Groundhog Day or Groundhog's Day? You used both in your post, and I know how you hate to be inconsistent. :-)
seems to be the singular, unless a single animal or a group is called groundhog. As in "That is one beautiful groundhog" or "Look at that herd of groundhog!"
"Everything you ever wanted to know about Groundhog Day!"
except if he saw his shadow this year.
(so yes, he did, and there will be 6 more weeks of winter)
I try not to believe what rodents tell me. I do believe with the weather we have had blind people could have told us the same thing!
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