🐿 Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a common holiday in 🇨🇦 Canada and the 🇺🇸 USA, which is celebrated on 🥶 February 2nd and symbolizes the coming of 🌸 Spring. On this day, traditionally, many people follow the 🐿 Groundhog, which crawls out of its burrow.
According to folklore, if a rodent emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its own shadow, the end of ❄️ Winter is near, it will be warm soon. But if a rodent sees its shadow on a clear day and is afraid to go out, it will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for 6 more weeks.
Interesting Facts:
- In some cities and towns of 🇨🇦 Canada and the 🇺🇸 USA, festivals are traditionally held on this holiday, which is dedicated to groundhog-meteorologists to attract tourists;
- There are 7 of the most popular groundhog-meteorologists in the world: Pankssatonean Phil, Chuck of Staten Island Zoo, Shubinacad Sam, Balzac Billy, Wyrton Willie, Jimmy Marmot, and General Beauregard Lee.
On the page 🐿 Groundhog Day the following information is presented:
1. Holiday history of 🐿 Groundhog Day
People began to celebrate the holiday back in ancient Rome, only then it had the name “🦔 Hedgehog Day” and, accordingly, the proximity of the spring arrival was determined by this animal’s behavior. Some northern peoples, for example, the Germans, judged the coming of spring by another animal – a 🦡 Badger, and in some places by a 🐻 Bear.
In the 18th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch passed on the custom to the American people. Since then, a groundhog has become the “chief” meteorologist, and members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club have contributed to the development of this tradition. Officially, Groundhog Day has been celebrated since 1886. And the very first and most popular meteorological groundhog was Punxsutawney Phil from the town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania.
Interesting facts:
- The town of Punxsutawney became famous thanks to the 📽 Film “Groundhog Day”, the plot of which takes place in this city. In 1997, 35 thousand people came to the festival in this town, although its population was only 6 thousand;
- Punxsuton Phil’s predictions are only 40% accurate, according to American climatologists, but Canadians and Americans don’t stop annually watching the groundhog.
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Tap / click to copy & paste2. Traditions and symbols of 🐿 Groundhog Day
The main symbol of the holiday is traditionally considered a groundhog, as well as the film “Groundhog Day” thanks to which this holiday gained its popularity. It was the film that gave such a well-known expression as Groundhog Day, which means an ♾️ Endless day, in which everything happens again and again, as in a vicious circle.
The date of the holiday is also symbolic because on February 2nd the sun passes the intermediate quarter between the ❄️ Winter solstice and the 🌸 Spring equinox.
Interesting fact: Groundhog Day, which has historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance, has been listed on the US National Film Register.
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3. Traditional treats on 🐿 Groundhog Day
There are no special traditions regarding Groundhog Day treats, so people buy an assortment of festival street vendors. But for the sake of raising the mood and sales, many sellers prepare food in the form of a groundhog: 🥞 Pancakes, 🍰 Cakes, 🥪 Sandwiches, 🥐 Pastries, 🍞 Bread, etc.
Interesting fact: Jeff Permar is an American 👨🌾 Farmer who once noticed that someone was eating his crop and decided to check it with a candid 📸 Camera. As a result, the thief turned out to be a 🐿 Groundhog, and the farmer named it Chunk. Jeff decided to share this video with the animal and created an Instagram page for it. There he posts videos of how a groundhog eats the treats left to him. Chunk quickly became popular and has already gained almost half a million subscribers.