Why Groundhogs Supposedly Predict The Weather On Groundhog Day

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On Groundhog Day, a bunch of men, wearing suits and top hats, pull a groundhog out of a hole in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They then read a scroll the groundhog supposedly wrote, that states whether or not it saw its shadow. This determines if winter will last another six weeks, or if spring is coming soon. It's a bit of an odd tradition, but a similar practice has been taking places for centuries. Following is a transcript of the video. Groundhog Day Announcer: Our buddy, Punxsutawney Phil! As the tradition goes, every year on February 2, Phil the groundhog comes out of his hole in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If he sees his shadow, we'll supposedly get 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, winter is supposedly over. Seems bizarre, right? So, how exactly did groundhogs become the go-to animal for predicting the weather? Bill Murray: That's not bad for a quadruped. You gotta check your mirrors. Just side of your eye. Side of your eye. The tradition comes from Germany. On an old religious holiday called "Candlemas Day," the Germans paid attention to the badger. Candlemas Day was the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. If the badger saw its shadow, it meant a "second winter" was coming. When the practice came to the US in 1887, the groundhog was chosen, because badgers aren't native to eastern North America. While it may seem random, there is some logic to turning to the groundhog for weather predictions. Like badgers, groundhogs,

Published 2018-01-30 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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