Shadow means six more weeks of winter
Every year on February 2, Punxsutawney, Penn. holds a festival to see if there will be six more
weeks of winter, or if spring will come early. The weather predictor, Punxsutawney Phil, is a
ground hog that holds the key to the prediction.
The ceremony begins well before the winter sunrise. The Inner Circle and many onlookers watch
with bated breath as Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob.
The folk lore states that if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, there will be six more
weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, then spring is arriving soon.
The event is considered the most famous Groundhog Day festival in the US and Canada. Even
though it is believed that the festival’s roots formally began in 1887, it actually started prior to
that date.
The celebration is rooted in Celtic and Germanic tradition that denotes if a hibernating animal
casts a shadow on the pagan holiday of Imbolc, then there will be six more weeks of winter.
Imbolc is also known as Candlemas.
Groundhog Day is organized by the Inner Circle, a group recognized by their top hats and
tuxedos. Folk lore says the Inner Circle communicate with Phil to receive his prognostication.
The Inner Circle suspends belief by asserting the same groundhog has been making the same
predictions since the 19 th century.
Before the ceremony, the vice president of the Inner Circle prepares two scrolls. One scroll
proclaims six more weeks of winter and the other proclaims an early spring. On February 2, at
daybreak, Phil awakens from his home on Gobbler’s Knob. His handlers help him to the top of a
stump and speaks to the president in a language known as “Groundhogese” to tell him if he saw
his shadow or not.
The president is the only one who speaks the language thanks to an ancient acacia wood cane. He
then interprets Phil’s message and tells the vice president which scroll to read to the crowd.
Phil’s fans are dubbed “phaithphil phollowers.”
Behind the scenes, the Inner Circle checks the Stormfax Almanac and scripts the ceremony in
advance. The almanac has been predicting the weather since 1999.