That's Phil, his full name is Punxsutawney Phil but us Pennsylvanians call him Phil for short (we go way back). Every Feb 2 Phil comes out of hiding to predict if we will have 6 more weeks of winter or spring will come early. This has been a tradition in PA for years, most of you probably are familiar with the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.
Now while I use to feel bad for Phil because he is held up in front of hundreds of people every year and televised all across the nation let me assure you that the rest of the year Phil has it pretty darn good. While he is not in fact out running around with the rest of his wild groundhog friends he is living it up in the lap of luxury. Beside I am not sure about else where but in PA we shoot them in our back yards for digging up our gardens. So Phil is better off, putting up with his once a year debut.
Here is a little history on the day (from wikipedia):
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day then spring will come early. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.
The celebration, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication and to St. Swithun's Day in July.
Happy Groundhog Day!!
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