What Did Punxsutawney Phil Predict For 2011?
Punxsutawney Phil - Photo: Eddie~S
Howdy. This February’s so cold y’all could feel it in yer bones, ain’t it? Well, legend has it, ol’ Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog is 121 years old and he’s been feelin’ the weather in his bones for more than a century. Each summer, he sips the quixotic Groundhog Elixir and lengthens his life another seven years just to bring us his weather prediction for the following months. We sure are lucky there’s a Groundhog Club since none of us regular folk speak Groundhogese. This year, ol’ Phil says we’ve got a short winter ahead of us since his shadow was nowhere to be found, so get ready to plant yer corn and till your land early!
Where Does Groundhog Day Come From?
This odd February 2nd holiday has its roots in the 18th Century German Candlemas superstition that there would be six more weeks of winter if the sun came out and a badger or hedgehog saw his shadow. Once Germans settled in Pennsylvania, they made do with the next best hibernator — a groundhog. The rest of that folklore was invented by strange men who still wear tuxedos and top hats and who only come out for one day a year.
How Accurate Are Phil’s Predictions?
Hey, no groundhog is perfect. He’s been right about 39 percent of the time… but if he says it’s going to be an early spring, who are we to judge?
Did You Know…
Since the release of the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray, as many as 40,000 visitors have flooded the small hill known as Gobbler’s Knob where Phil emerges from each year?
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| Article: Jennn Fusion Twitter: @jennnfusion |
