Like every February 2nd, thousands of people have an appointment with the Marmot Phil for him Groundhog Day. It is one of the most popular animals in the country and is part of a tradition known worldwide.
This is largely thanks to the film.Caught in time‘, In the main role Bill Murray And Andie MacDowellthat staged this American tradition and made it known throughout the world.
What Groundhog Day means and what the tradition looks like
So February 2nd brings together thousands of people Gobbler’s Knobthe hill outside the district Punxsutawneylocated in the state Pennsylvania. Here, the masters of ceremonies, wearing their traditional top hats, take out Phil the groundhog and lift him into the air to hear their winter forecast.
The behavior of the animal determines How long will winter last and how long will it take for spring to come?. According to tradition, the marmot is taken out of his cave and his shadow can be seen: If you see it, it means that there is still a long winter ahead. If you don’t see it, it won’t be long before spring comes.
Legend has it that the animal has six weeks left to end the winter if there is enough sun to see its shadow. However, according to Stormfax, a website specializing in traditions, Phil’s predictions were nothing but accurate correct in 39% of cases.
Why Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2nd
In the 5th century, the Celts believed that animals had certain characteristics supernatural forces between the winter equinox and the spring solstice40 days after Christmas and 40 days before Easter, approximately February 2nd.
In fact, February 2nd is February 2nd in the Christian liturgical calendar Feast of Candelaria or Light. Many European proverbs say that if there is a sunny day on that day, a long winter is to be expected.
According to German and French tradition, marmots and bears came out of their winter dens too early, They were afraid of their own shadow and returned to themselves for four or six weeks.. Therefore, in tradition it is important that the marmot does not see his shadow in order to predict that there is little winter ahead.
You can follow the event live here: