Groundhog Day is February 2nd. It is said that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather, and if he doesn't, that spring will be here soon. 
Groundhog Day
It's a ritual that's continued for more than 100 years: Thousands gather in the frigid pre-dawn hours in Punxsutawney, Pa., to find out whether the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, will "see his shadow." If he does, the meaning is clear: Six more weeks of winter weather.
Right? Ummm ... not necessarily.
A report in the Christian Science Monitor revealed this fun fact: "Flipping through the history books, it seems Punxsutawney Phil has spotted his shadow 99 out of 114 times. That would mean poor Pennsylvania rarely gets an early spring. However, according to the Stormfax Almanac, the groundhog is only right 39 percent of the time — a failing grade in school terms."
It kind of stands to reason, considering that this ritual is firmly rooted in fun, not science. In the late 1800s, a group of Punxsutawney men climbed a hill called Gobbler's Knob to eat groundhog and drink beer. They had such a blast that they christened themselves the "Groundhog Club" and vowed to get together each year. And so they did!
2 comments:
This is a holiday which has been greatly misconstrued since 1590! It was formerly "Ground Hog Day," and celebrated pork sausage in all its magnificence. Then a whippersnapper named Shakespeare got hold of it and changed it to "Groundhog Day."
I have some good friends who celebrate the august (actually February) occasion annually by dining upon a lovely meatloaf, containing plenty of fresh sausage, and molded into the shape of a groundhog, thereby addressing both eventualities.
I urge you to go forth and do likewise.
It is time for a job evaluation !
Post a Comment