Friday, February 1, 2013
With the recent cold snap, the prospect of Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter on Feb. 2 is especially daunting.
Groundhog Day is Saturday, Feb. 2 this year, and the recent Arctic temperatures are giving the day a bit more resonance than usual. According to the myth, if a groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if he does not, spring is right around the corner. Last year, Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter while Staten Island Chuck called for an early spring. Groundhog Day and other similar legends are based on the beliefs of Europeans, but the true origins of the holiday are lost in time. The day originated from the Germans, Scots and early Christian Europeans. It is celebrated every year on Feb. 2. On this day, a groundhog comes out of its burrow and checks for his shadow to determine how …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Six more weeks of winter or an early spring?
The results are in from Punxsutawney, Pa., and Phil the groundhog saw his shadow—so if his prediction holds, we could be in for six more weeks of winter. Phil's tweet this morning: A terrifying shadow = 6 more weeks of winter! That's usually bad news, but with so few truly cold days this year, it might be exactly what those who enjoy winter sports and recreation are hoping for. Indeed, continued Phil, No complaining. We haven’t even had winter yet. This year's prediction aside, how did such an unassuming creature, whose yearly prediction is accurate only 39 percent of the time, become the center of such an enduring tradition? As it turns out, Phil and his counterparts have been predicting the weather for quite some time—since 1887, …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What will you do over the next six weeks that could make a winter shadow more meaningful than a silly myth about the weather?
On Thursday, Feb. 2, all eyes turn to Gobbler’s Knob where Punxsutawney Phil, a 22-pound Pennsylvanian rodent is scheduled to emerge from hibernation. Legend and a popular Hollywood movie suggest that this somnolent groundhog can divine the weather better than Chris Shaffer. Will there be six more weeks of winter? Does it matter? It could if we change how we think of it. It’s kind of a nutty holiday. We tend to accept nutty things when they’re steeped in tradition. But consider how Groundhog Day sounds to those first hearing of it. Like when I was seated around a conference table attempting to schedule a meeting with colleagues. We said we should meet on Groundhog Day and my friend Emmanuel Choragudi flashed a curious expression like we …
Kris Janisch
8:25 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
An end to winter's bitter cold will come soon, according to Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil. The groundhog came out from his lair, but didn't see his shadow, the Washington Post reports. more ›