Happy Groundhog Day! Will we have another cold six weeks of winter? Well, that’s all up to Punxsutawney Phil.
Groundhogs Day was first introduced to the United States by German settlers who brought over their tradition of celebrating Candlemas Day, a holiday thought to predict upcoming weather. According to German lore, if a hedgehog saw his shadow on this day, there would be a “Second Winter.” Unfortunately, hedgehogs were absent from the American landscape, so settlers turned to another hibernating animal. The groundhog.
Since 1886, Punxsutawney Phil has served as the US’s “Weather Prognosticator Extraordinaire.” Despite an accuracy of less than 40%, Phil draws crowds from across the world to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania who come to watch as he emerges from his burrow.
So, either hunker down for another six weeks of winter or get ready for spring… it’s all up to Phil!
