PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA (voa) – The official weather-forecasting groundhog, “Punxsutawney Phil” ventured from his cozy burrow and saw his shadow Saturday, signaling six more weeks of winter in North America.
The chubby rodent emerged from slumber to the glare of television lights, as 40,000 people converged on Gobbler’s Knob, a wooded hill near the tiny town of Punxsutawney, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, which features parades, food, music and ice-carving competitions, has been celebrated at Gobbler’s Knob for 116 years.
But the ritual is even older, dating back to the German holiday of Candlemas. It was believed that if an animal sees its shadow on February 2, the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox – bad weather is in store, and the animal returns to its den for six-more weeks of napping. But if it is cloudy, the animal remains outside, meaning moderate weather and an early spring.
Scientists say that “Punxatawney Phil” did not climb out of his den just to predict the weather. Biologists say the real reason groundhogs emerge from their burrows at this time of year has more to do with mating than meteorology.
www.groundhog.org
