Every year since 1887, an adorable groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil comes out of hibernation and pokes his furry head out in the world. Many Pennsylvanians wait with bated breath to see if the groundhog will see its shadow, or not.
Every year since 1887, an adorable groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil comes out of hibernation and pokes his furry head out in the world. Many Pennsylvanians wait with bated breath to see if the groundhog will see its shadow, or not.
If the Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, that means six more weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, then that means people can expect an early spring.
The latter is what happened this year when Punxsutawney Phil popped up from his hibernation hideout. He did not see his shadow, therefor, people can expect an early spring.
The tradition continues to remain popular throughout the United States, even though there has been no collaborative proof between the groundhog’s shadow and whether spring-like weather is approaching. The folklore stems from German-speaking areas who relied on a badger as the forecasting animal. The lore believes that if there is clear weather on the Christian festival Candlemas, then that means a prolonged winter.
The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, Penn. He wrote about it on February 2, 1840. The first time Groundhog Day was mentioned in the paper was in 1886. However, the first official Groundhog Day occurred in 1887 when it was commemorated in Pennsylvania with a group making a trip to Gobbler’s Knob to consult the groundhog.
To this day, Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Penn. Attracts thousands of tourists. Approximately 40,000 attends annually. That is nearly eight times the year-round population of 5,769.