The classic line from the film comedy starring Bill Murray turns 31 this year, and if that doesn’t make you feel old enough, the actual Groundhog Day ceremony has been going on for almost 140 years. But just what is Groundhog Day, and how, or why, do we celebrate? Here’s what you need to know…
Observed each year on February 2, Groundhog Day originated in the town of Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania. The tradition of letting a large rodent determine our wintery fate derives from an old Germanic tale that each year a groundhog will poke its head up out of its den around this time. If it sees his shadow (denoting that it’s a clear day out), the winter will carry on for six more weeks. If, however, it sees a cloudy day, it means we’re getting an early spring.
Although the day is celebrated across North America – with the date having been chosen as it’s the midpoint of winter – the first observance was in Punxsatawney, and this is still where the largest celebrations take place to this day (and where the film is set).
The day revolves around a ceremony which is held at day break (7:25 EST) at a place in Punxsatawney called Gobbler’s Knob (yes, really). The star of the proceedings is Punxsatawney Phil, and he is looked after throughout the year by a select group called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, who also plan the annual ceremony.
With the aid of the Inner Circle, Phil is helped to the top of the stump and tells the president – in a language known as ‘groundhogese’ – his verdict (no doubt based on decades of meteorology studies). The President of the Inner Circle, the only person allegedly able to understand groundhogese, then translates Phil’s message, and the Voice President reads the verdict out to the crowds who have gathered in the Knob, as well as the thousands who watch the live broadcast on TV.
Fun Facts about Groundhog Day:
- According to lore there has only ever been one Phil – who has been alive ever since the first ceremony back in 1886.
- You might not want to take his prediction too seriously, as historically his success rate at predicting the weather is only around 39%, according to the Stormfax Almanac.
- Even the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop Punxsatawney Phil – according to his Twitter account (yes, he has Twitter, and an Instagram account), people around the world were able to celebrate Groundhog Day virtually while in lockdown.
- After the ceremony, people commonly have a meal and drink their own version of groundhog punch, which is a mixture of vodka, milk, eggs, and orange juice.
If you’d like to watch all of the hoopla, a number of US channels will be livestreaming the event via YouTube – or you could just settle for watching the Bill Murray film – in which he plays a weatherman who finds himself well and truly stuck in Groundhog Day after reliving the day over and over and over…
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