Groundhog Drama - It's Groundhog Day!

Punxsutawney Phil

Groundhog Day is popular in the US. If the groundhog sees his shadow, it's another six weeks of winter. If he doesn't spring comes early. 

Here's what the History Channel has to say: (http://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/history/)

If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.

If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.

The Groundhog tradition has it's roots in "Candlemas Day," from early Christians in Europe: 

According to an old English song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

According to an old Scotch couplet:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be twa (two) winters in the year.

Another variation of the Scottish rhyme:

If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter to come and mair,
If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
The half of winter's gone at Yule.

When Pennsylvannia's settlers started moving into the state, most of them were German and found a lot of groundhogs. The groundhogs resembled the European hedgehog and they began groundhog day.

The most famous groundhog has to be Punxsutawney Phil.

Other US Groundhogs:

Woody in Howell, MI

Sir Walter Wally, Raleigh, NC

Chattanooga Chuck, Chattanooga, TN

French Creek Freddie, French Creek, WV

Gus, Athens, GA

Buckeye Chuck, Marion, OH

Question for you: Do you believe in Groundhog Day?  Did you see the movie? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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