groundhog day

Groundhog Day is one of the strangest holidays I know and yet my roommate here in Madrid just informed me that Punxsutawney Phil (whom I previously didn't know the name of) just saw his shadow so there will be six more weeks of winter, which I could probably have told you as well from the cold winds of Madrid. It is a very strange holiday, I must say (particularly after I googled pictures of groundhog day and punxsutawney)... but I actually do agree with the little groundhog that it doesn't look like winter is quite over this year. So happy groundhog's day! And happy winter!

Oh... and some history for you as I googled groundhog's day from this link:

Groundhog Day : Can Spring Be Far Behind?

The custom of predicting future weather conditions based on animals dates back at least a thousand years, but using the weather on February 2nd to forecast a longer winter is more recent than that.

It was during the Dark Ages in Europe that this widespread superstition took hold. Peasants and nobles alike noticed a strong connection between a bright, sunny, medieval Candlemas Day and long, dreary winter weather extending into the next 6 weeks:

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.

In Germany, meanwhile, it was the hedgehog that played a starring role in a similar belief.

Farmers waited for late winter to watch the hibernating animal to come out of his burrow. If the hedgehog saw his shadow on a bright, sunlit day he quickly returned to hibernate...and thus put the official stamp on a prediction of six more weeks of winter for German farmers.

German settlers later brought the old belief with them to Pennsylvania, replacing the hedgehog with the more common American groundhog,

And the rest, as they say, is Groundhog Day history.

In popular culture, the 1993 film comedy Groundhog Day was a major hit for star Bill Murray, bringing Punxsutawney Phil's popularity to new heights.

Today, Pennsylvania-born groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is a minor celebrity. This sleepy groundhog may be the most famous weather forecaster in the USA. Each year, the world's paparazzi hold vigil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2 as America waits with frosted breath for Phil to emerge.

Again, as I said before, a strange, strange holiday, one that I would have had no idea was today if it weren't for the fact that my roommate mentioned it after seeing it on the news this afternoon in madrid. Again, very random, but it does seem that he'll be right this year...

Oh, and just in case there was any question, no we don't celebrate groundhog day in Spain. ;-)