Key takeaways:
- Groundhog Day was originally celebrated with a badger, but was eventually replaced by Punxsutawney Phil.
- Every year, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club trek to Gobbler’s Knob to summon Phil from his tree stump at dawn.
- Groundhog Day has become an American tradition that is celebrated by millions of people each year.
On Thursday, February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania and saw his shadow, declaring there would be six more weeks of winter. Every year, Americans in snowy states wait with bated breath to learn whether Phil will spot his shadow, and this year was no different.
Groundhog Day has become an annual celebration that even those of us who don’t worry about winter can find the fun in. But how did it go from a kooky local tradition to an American holiday we can all be proud of?
Groundhog Day was originally celebrated with a badger. According to folklore, if the badger saw its shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter. This tradition was eventually replaced by Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog who has been predicting the weather since 1887.
Every year, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club trek to Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil’s home, to summon him from his tree stump at dawn. This year, Phil made his prediction as a deadly storm wreaked havoc in the South and the Northeast was bracing for a dangerous Arctic blast.
Groundhog Day has become an American tradition that is celebrated by millions of people each year. While the forecast of six more weeks of winter may not be the news we wanted to hear, we can all take comfort in the fact that Punxsutawney Phil has been faithfully predicting the weather for over 130 years.
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