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Groundhog Day!

February 01, 2021

One of the most popular places in Pennsylvania is Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, where Phil the groundhog makes his prediction every February 2nd. The town’s people and visitors will celebrate this day in a fun and festive way.

They gather early in the morning at sunrise at Gobbler’s Knob, and Mr. Phil will emerge from his temporary home. The President of the inner circle will then raise Mr. Phil into the air and announce if he saw his shadow. The vice president of the inner circle has the 2 scrolls which he will read one or the other, depending on what Phil predicts.

Tradition in Punxsutawney, PA

Traditions began in 1887, although its roots go back even further. It started as Candlemas Day in Europe, or the Christian “festival of lights”, celebrated on Feb. 2. It’s considered a civil festival with music and food and lasts about a week. This marked midway between the start and end of winter.

Included in this tradition is the beloved Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) who predicts when winter will end, by the appearance of his shadow. If he sees his shadow, we will have 6 more weeks of winter, that is usually cold and wet. If he does not see his shadow, then we will have an early spring.

Last year in 2020, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, so this indicated an early spring. This is the 20th time, out of 123 years in recorded history that he did not see his shadow. (We should have known by this, that 2020 would be a very interesting year, to say the least.)

According to the York Dailey Record, this is what they have revealed to us:

“ There’s a whole bunch of strange traditions that go on behind the scenes of the tradition, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Here are 5 of the most unusual:

  • Punxsutawney Phil has an “inner circle”: Those men in top hats aren’t random. They’re called the “inner circle.” They’re responsible for planning the events around Groundhog Day (no small feat, considering this year’s events span over a week), and caring for Phil.
  • They say his predictions are 100% accurate: Let’s be clear, taken at face value, they’re not. The predictions are actually wrong more than they’re right. But the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club notes that the predictions aren’t geographically specific. So, if Phil “predicts” a long winter, that’s probably true – somewhere in the world.
  • They say he is basically immortal. It’s been the same Punxsutawney Phil for all 132 years of the tradition, according to the club. That’s over 15 times longer than the upper end of a groundhog’s typical lifespan. That’s an old groundhog. • They say they make him immortal by feeding him the ‘groundhog punch’ every year.
  • They say Phil can communicate. They call it “Groundhogese” and say Phil communicates his predictions to the current president of the inner circle”

So, now with this knowledge we hope everyone has a happy ground day… and that it only happens once this year.

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