In
case you forgot, Groundhog Day is today, February 2nd. It's also true
though that most of us don't know much about the day except for what we
remember from the movie of the same name, Groundhog Day, which starred Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. That story is about the a man who, while in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to
cover the Groundhog Day event, goes to bed at the end of the day and
wakes up the next morning to find it is Groundhog Day all over again, a
personal infinity loop.
For those who can't remember the particulars of the day, here are
some of the specifics. Every February 2nd, people gather at Gobbler's
Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, to watch Punxsutawney
Phil look for his shadow. If he sees his shadow, it means six more
weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just
around the corner.
The legend of Groundhog Day is actually based on an old Scottish
couplet - "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two
winters in the year." But while we're at it, here are a few other
obscure things you probably didn't know about groundhogs and Groundhog
Day:
- Falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring
equinox, February 2 is a significant day in several ancient and
modern traditions. Germans
developed their own take on the legend, pronouncing the day sunny only if badgers and other animals glimpsed their own shadows.
- When German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought the custom with them, choosing the native groundhog as the annual forecaster. They used the holiday as an excuse to get together and party, which seems as good a reason as any for a get-together.
-
The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It was the brainchild of local newspaper editor Clymer Freas, who sold a group of businessmen and groundhog hunters - known collectively as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club - on the idea. The men trekked to a site called Gobbler's Knob, where the inaugural groundhog became the bearer of bad news when he saw his shadow.
- Punxsutawney Phil has a downright awful success rate. When you compare Phil's predictions against information from the National Climatic Data Center, Phil's success rate is 39%. Of course, if you ask the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog club, they'll tell you he's right 100% of the time.
- Groundhogs are really deep sleepers. Groundhogs hibernate through the winter, slowing their breathing and heartbeats and letting their body temperatures fall not too far above freezing. They survive the hibernation living off the fat they stored during the summer and fall months. In warmer climates groundhogs may only hibernate for as little as three months, but in colder regions it can last as long as six months.
- Punxsutawney Phil has an awesome full title! Phil's full name/title is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. He was given that name by the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper in 1886.
- Groundhogs are actually far from the "warm and fuzzy" creatures you might think they are. As with most wild animals, their natural inclination is to be aggressive. They can be socialized if raised with lots of human contact, but in the end, you're still dealing with a wild animal, so proceed with caution.
- Nowadays, the yearly festivities in Punxsutawney are presided over by a band of local dignitaries known as the "Inner Circle". Its members wear top hats and conduct the official proceedings in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. (They supposedly speak to the groundhog in "Groundhogese.") Every February 2, tens of thousands of spectators now attend Groundhog Day events in Punxsutawney, a borough that is home to only about 6,000 people.
- The 1993 film "Groundhog Day," which many of us will probably watch again sometime over this weekend, was actually shot in Woodstock, Illinois.
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