Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day then spring will come early. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received widespread attention as a result of the eponymous 1993 film Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and portrayed Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Of the 115 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring 15 times (13%). As to his accuracy, Phil's predictions have been correct 39% of the time.
Pa. Groundhog “Predicts” 6 More Weeks of Winter
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania
February 2, 2012 (AP)
Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair to "see" his shadow on Thursday, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.
But, at this rate, that might not be so bad.
The groundhog made his "prediction" on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in the town for which he's named about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Temperatures were near freezing when he emerged at dawn — unseasonably warm — and were forecast to climb into the mid-40s in a winter that's brought little snow and only a few notably cold days to much of the East.
Thursday's ceremony is largely that: Phil's prediction is determined ahead of time by the Inner Circle, a group who dons top hats and tuxedos and decides in advance what the groundhog will predict.
Organizers expected 15,000 to 18,000 people to witness the furry creature's prognostication ceremony just before 7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
This year's crowd was warmer than most. The average early-morning temperature usually hovers around 17 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett was among the spectators this year. Those who couldn't make it to Gobbler's Knob could follow the groundhog on Twitter and Facebook, or watch a webcast of the event on his website.
"What started as a small gathering in 1887 has now evolved into tens of thousands of visitors from around the nation and even the world coming to Punxsutawney to participate in this time-honored Groundhog Day tradition," Corbett said.
The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.
The tradition attained a large following with the 1993 Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day, in which a weatherman covering the event must relive the day over and over again. Before the movie came out, Phil was lucky to have an audience of 2,500, said Mike Johnston, vice president of the Inner Circle.