On February
2nd every year a crowd gathers in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They come to see a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil predict the weather for the
end of winter. If it is sunny when he emerges from his burrow, and he sees his
shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and Phil
does not see his shadow, then spring will come early.
This odd
tradition began with some of the first settlers in Pennsylvania, who observed a
holiday called Candlemas Day. According to this early tradition, if the day was
sunny, there would be “two winters” (a long winter). But if Candlemas Day was cloudy,
then winter would “fly away” (spring would be early).
A man named
Clymer H. Freas is credited with starting the tradition of using a groundhog to
predict the weather on February 2nd. He lived in
Punxsutawney. A local hunting group, who hunted groundhogs and hosted a picnic
after the hunt, inspired him. Since that time we have watched Punxsutawney Phil
on February 2nd in the hope that he will predict an early spring!
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