Groundhog Day 2013 – Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow
Will spring come early this year?
According to folklore, the answer hinges on a groundhog and the right weather conditions on February 2.
If a groundhog emerges from its burrow and see its shadow, then six more weeks of winter weather is on the way.
But if it comes out and sees no shadow, spring is forecast to come early.
Punxsutawney, the Pennsylvania town that is home to one of the most famous weather-predicting groundhogs, Punxsutawney Phil, has been carrying on the tradition of Groundhog Day since the 1800′s – according to The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
Groundhog Day 2013.
Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day – the unofficial American holiday where we learn if spring will arrive early or if we’ll have to endure six more weeks of winter, all based on whether a rodent sees his shadow.
The quirky weather prediction tradition goes back to medieval times when there was a superstition that all hibernating animals emerged from their caves and dens to check on the weather halfway between Dec. and March. If the animals saw their shadows, winter would go on and they could go back to sleep. If they didn’t see a shadow, an early spring was on its way.
Pennsylvania has Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Zoo’s got Staten Island Chuck, but CNN wants to feature you! Forget the fact that you’re not a rodent. For this one-day photo assignment, we invite you to go outside on Saturday and see if you can find your shadow. Snap a picture of it and tell us your weather prediction.
Furry little Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW’-nee) Phil is ready to make his annual appearance out of Gobbler’s Knob in west-central Pennsylvania.
Groundhog Day is Saturday, and the community is holding its welcome-back bash for the famous winter-weather prognosticator – the so-called seer of seers and sage of sages.
Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, winter will last six more weeks. No shadow means an early spring.
Phil’s got company. Groundhogs in Atlanta, New York, and Ontario also make predictions.
But Punxsutawney partisans say Phil is the original and the best. The 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray brought the Pennsylvania rodent even more notoriety.
Organizers say about 20.000 people are expected this weekend, a larger-than-normal crowd because Groundhog Day falls on a weekend this year.