Groundhog predictor Phil from Punxsutawney promised that spring will come early
The famous groundhog-predictor Phil from the American town of Punxsutawney announced the date of the beginning of spring. As the organizers of Groundhog Day explained, this time he did not see his shadow. According to tradition, it is believed that if the groundhog does not see the shadow, then spring will be early. The absence of a shadow is a rather rare event, occurring for the first time in four years.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Promised an Early Spring
On this Groundhog Day, as always, people gathered in one of the squares of Punxsutawney. At the appointed time, bearded men in strict black suits and top hats, giving them some resemblance to undertakers, took the stage. These were members of the Inner Circle society, which organizes the holiday.
The chairman of the society showed the audience a gnarled cane: it, according to him, is passed down from generation to generation and helps him communicate with marmots
Then he pulled the plump groundhog Phil out of the “hollow” in the decorative log and showed him off to the cheering crowd. After “consulting” with him, he gave the floor to another member of the society. He unfolded a previously prepared scroll and read a rhymed translation of the forecast that the groundhog allegedly made. It followed that in 2024 Phil did not see his shadow, so spring would come earlier than usual.
Photo: Barry Reeger/AP
So far, Phil has predicted early spring only 19 times and, as a rule, he was wrong
Groundhog Day is celebrated in many cities across the United States and Canada, but Punxsutawney is considered the most famous. It was there that this holiday was first celebrated in 1887, and it was there that it appeared in the film “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, thanks to which this tradition became known throughout the world.
During the holiday, the organizers consult with the predictor groundhog, and then report whether he sees his shadow or not.
It is believed that if a groundhog sees a shadow and hides in a hole, winter will last another six weeks. If there is no shade, then spring will come very soon
During the entire period of the holiday, Phil from Punxsutawney predicted early spring only 19 times. The last time this happened was in 2020. The groundhog's forecasts are not very accurate: according to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, they justified in only 39 percent of cases.
House of a groundhog named General Beauregard Lee, who predicts spring in the southern United States
Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP
In Russia, marmots slept through their day, so a hedgehog predicted the weather
Publication “Chelyabinsk Today” reportedthat the bobcats Filya and Sonya from the Chelyabinsk Zoo never came out of hibernation.
We can say for sure that they will wake up only when spring becomes truly warm and the cold will not return. Therefore, we will see Sonya and Filya no earlier than April, but for now we wish them sweet dreams and envy them in the depths of our souls
The same thing happened in Samara, writes KP.RU. The Samara Zoo is home to an elderly 15-year-old marmot Ivan, who, according to zoo staff, will not wake up until March.
Our groundhog Ivan lives in a kennel in the open air; at the end of summer – beginning of autumn he climbs inside, fills the hole with hay and comes out only in March. So we’re definitely not expecting him to wake up on February 2
Related materials:
In Lipetsk, employees of the Snow White Shelter animal farm still managed drive the marmot Filimon who lives among them out into the street, writes LenTV24. He clearly didn’t want to go there and hurried to return home.
The hedgehog Curry from the zoo in Yekaterinburg shares the same opinion. Four bowls with larvae, symbolizing different weather conditions, were placed in front of her. She hesitated, but in the end chose the bowl with the most pessimistic forecast. Spring, if you believe him, will not come soon in the Urals and will be cloudy and cold.
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