Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day 2005 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA. Groundhog Day is a 1993 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Punxsutawney is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, 84 miles (129 km northeast of Pittsburgh. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern
Observed by	United States and Canada
Type	Cultural
Significance	Whether the groundhog sees its shadow determines how much longer winter will last. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
Date	February 2nd
Celebrations	Observing a groundhog emerging from its burrow and seeing whether it sees its shadow

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, marmot, or ground squirrel, emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. Weather lore is the body of informal Folklore related to the Prediction of the Weather. The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae Marmots are members of the Genus Marmota, in the Rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels The ground squirrels are the members of the Sciuridae most closely related to the Genus Marmota. The weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given Atmosphere at a given Time. If the groundhog sees its shadow, it will return into its burrow and winter will continue for 6 more weeks. ^[1] Candlemas is sometimes the same day, and has similar beliefs about the coming weather. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February.

History

Historical origins

The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels. The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The Sciurids or Squirrels are a large family of Rodents. The word Sciuridae means "shade-tail" and refers to the bushy appendage possessed The ground squirrels are the members of the Sciuridae most closely related to the Genus Marmota.

Perhaps the earliest known American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ is the county seat of Berks County Pennsylvania and the center of the Greater Reading Area. The reference was made February 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks County, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris' diary: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link Morgantown is a populated place in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with a Zip code of 19543 Berks County is a County located in the US state of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. "^[1] (Lore has it that the groundhog is a timid creature, and the sight of his own shadow will scare him. )

In the United States the tradition derives from a Scottish poem:

As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

This tradition also stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day^[2] and Groundhog Day. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. Candlemas, also known as the Purification of the Virgin or the Presentation, coincides with the earlier pagan observance Imbolc. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning

Alternative origin theories

In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is about six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king This was exactly six weeks after February 2. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Assuming that the equinox marked the first day of spring in certain medieval cultures, as it does now in western countries, Groundhog Day occurred exactly six weeks before spring. Therefore, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day there would be six more weeks of winter. If he didn't, there would be 42 more days of winter. In other words, the Groundhog Day tradition may have begun as a bit of folk humor. ^[3]

Alternatively, the custom could have been a folk embodiment of the confusion created by the collision of two calendrical systems. Some ancient traditions marked the change of season at cross-quarter days such as Imbolc when daylight first makes significant progress against the night. A cross-quarter day is a day falling approximately halfway between a Solstice and an Equinox. Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning Other traditions held that Spring did not begin until the length of daylight overtook night at the Vernal Equinox. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle So an arbiter, the groundhog/hedgehog, was incorporated as a yearly custom to settle the two traditions. Sometimes Spring begins at Imbolc, and sometimes Winter lasts 6 more weeks until the equinox. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox ^[4]

Famous prognosticators and predictions

As stated earlier, a shadow of Punxsutawney Phil means six more weeks of winter, and no shadow means spring is around the corner. ^[5] Groundhog Day proponents state that the rodents' forecasts are accurate 75% to 90%. A Canadian study for 13 cities in the past 30 to 40 years puts success rate level at 37%. ^[6] Also, the National Climatic Data Center reportedly has stated that the overall predictions accuracy rate is around 39%. The United States National Climatic Data Center ( NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina is the world's largest active Archive of ^[7]

What follows is a record of the various dates accompanied by several of the most famous marmot predictions. Marmots are members of the Genus Marmota, in the Rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels

In fiction

In 1899, members of The Slumbering Groundhog Lodge of Quarryville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania composed a song about groundhogs sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic":

Let the scientific fakirs gnash their teeth and stamp with rage- Let astrologers with crystals wipe such nonsense from the page- We hail the King of Prophets, who's the world's oustanding Sage- TODAY THE GROUNDHOG COMES! Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog, Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog, Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog, TODAY THE PROPHET COMES!^[18]

At the end of Disney's 1930 Silly Symphony Winter, a Mr. Silly Symphonies is a series of Animated Short subjects 75 in total produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939 Groundhog the Weather Prophet comes out of his hole to determine whether or not there will be more winter. At first, he does not see his shadow, but the clouds clear and his shadow appears, causing him to run back inside. At this point, the winds picks up again and winter continues. In the 1979 Rankin-Bass Christmas TV special Jack Frost, a crucial plot point in the story involves Jack casting his own shadow on Groundhog Day for six more weeks of winter. At the end of the story it is revealed that the narrator (voiced by Buddy Hackett) is the groundhog. Buddy Hackett ( August 31, 1924 &ndash June 30, 2003) was an American Comedian and Actor.

The 1993 comedy movie Groundhog Day takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA on this day (although the majority of the movie was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois). Groundhog Day is a 1993 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Punxsutawney is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, 84 miles (129 km northeast of Pittsburgh. Woodstock is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The main character (played by Bill Murray) is forced to relive the day over and over again until he can learn to give up his selfishness and become a better person^[19]. For the British actor see Billy Murray (actor. William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an

Also in the episode "Next Question" of the children's animated show As Told By Ginger Carl and Hoodsey liberate the towns Groundhog so they could sell scarfs remembering their Groundhog, Pete. As Told By Ginger is an American emmy nominated Animated series that premiered on Nickelodeon in October 2000 When the matter is investigated, a monkey, Mr. Licorice, is in the hole and people think that he ate Pete.

In the episode "The Groundhog Day" of The O.C, Seth Cohen and Che attempt to save the animal used on Groundhog Day in their town of Newport. This article is about the FOX television series For the location from which the series derives its name see Orange County California. Seth Cohen is a Fictional character on FOX series The OC, played by Adam Brody.

On January 9, 2006, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office presented installments of the Groundhog 202 film series, a Groundhog Day promotion that played off The Shining. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Shining is a 1980 horror Film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King 's novel of the same name The film shows what happens when the groundhog, stuck inside for 364 days, goes mad with cabin fever. Cabin fever is a slang term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in for an extended period On January 11, 2007, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office presented installments of the Groundhog Crossing film series, a Groundhog Day promotion that depicted the departure of the Shadow from his friend the Groundhog in an attempt to stop the cycle of winter predictions. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

In popular culture, the phrase "Groundhog Day" has come to represent going through a phenomenon over and over until one spiritually transcends it. ^[20]

Similar customs

In Germany 27 June is "Siebenschläfertag" (Seven Sleepers Day). Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden In Germany, June 27 is ( Seven Sleepers Day) If it rains that day the next seven weeks or the rest of summer is supposedly going to be rainy If it rains that day, the rest of summer is supposedly going to be rainy. While it might seem to refer to the "Siebenschläfer" squirrel (Glis Glis), also known as the "edible dormouse", it actually commemorates the Seven Sleepers (the actual commemoration day is July 25). The edible dormouse or fat dormouse ( Glis glis) is a small Dormouse and the only Species in the Genus Glis. The Roman Martyrology mentions the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus under the date of 27 July, as follows "Commemoration of the seven Holy Sleeper of Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler

In the United Kingdom, 15 July is known as St. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Swithun's day. Saint Swithun (or Swithin) (died 2 July, 862) was an early English Bishop of Winchester, now best known for the popular British It is claimed that at one time it was believed if it rained on that day, it would rain for the next 40 days and nights. However, since the probability of such a protracted period of continual rain is virtually nil it is more likely that the belief was simply that the ensuing summer would be wetter than average.

References

Further reading

• Michael A. Aaron, Brewster B. Boyd, Jr. , Melanie J. Curtis, Paul M. Sommers, Punxsutawney's Phenomenal Phorecaster. The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan. , 2001), pp. 26-29 doi 10. 2307/2687216
• Cohen, H. , & Coffin, T. P. (1987). The Folklore of American holidays. Detroit, Mich: Gale Research Co.
• Old, W. C. , & Billin-Frye, P. (2004). The Groundhog Day book of facts and fun. Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman & Company.
• Pulling, A. F. (2001). Around Punxsutawney. Images of America. Charleston, S. C. : Arcadia.
• Don Yoder, Groundhog Day, Stackpole Books, 2003
• Punxy Phil's Past Predictions: http://www.groundhog.org/about/predictions.php

External links

• History of Groundhog Day
• Groundhog Day History
• Groundhog Day and Gardening A gardener's reflections on Groundhog Day.
• Collection of links to websites about Groundhog Day
• A Collection of Groundhog Crossing Videos Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil crosses America
• Profile of many other prognosticating groundhogs