courtesy of D. Gordon E. Robertson, Wikimedia
Lately, groundhogs have been mentioned a lot in the US news. For centuries, folklore has attributed these fat, furry little animals with the ability to predict the duration of winter and the arrival of spring. Theoretically, if the groundhog sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow on February, winter will last for another 6 weeks; if he DOESN’T see his shadow, it should mean that spring is just around the corner.
There are 2 famous groundhogs that have the job of predicting the end of winter and the arrival of spring in the United States of America. One, Punxsutawney Phil, has his headquarters in Pennsylvania, and the other, Staten Island Chuck, is from, obviously, New York. These two, along with their Canadian cohort, Wiarton Willie, didn’t see their shadow, thereby indicating that we would definitely have an early spring. On the other hand, another lesser known Canadian groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam, from Nova Scotia, DID see his shadow. However, most people, already fed up with the overabundance of snow, were more than happy to accept the prediction of the first three. Shouts of glee rose from all parts of the North American continent.
Oops! We should have listened to Shubenacadie Sam. Far from an early spring, it was a very extended winter. 
I would like to say that although I tend to agree that the winter was somewhat longer than I could wish for (we had temperatures in the low 30s this week) we can’t really blame those poor groundhogs. I mean really, not even the weather knows what it wants to do and so, it’s not fair to accuse these poor innocent rodents for not being able to read the inconstant weather’s mind.
In closing, Metro US news informs us that, since Phil’s handler took the fall for the indicted groundhog, the accusation has been removed and Punxsutawney Phil no longer faces the death penalty. Thank goodness for the hapless rodent. However, next time it might be better to be prepared for a prolonged or shortened winter, just in case the trio should mess up again. Run! Phil, Run!
Didn't know about the groundhog story so thanks for sharing. Nature doesn't fit into a 3 month solar cycle. I think the places that use the lunar calendar to predict seasons (like India) do it more successfully.
ReplyDeleteI don't thin it actually fit into the lunar calendar this year, either. I think it's better to say "Yea! Spring is here" when it finally does arrive. That's okay--winter hit Brooklyn early this year--a week into November, just after our Superstorm Sandy.
DeleteYes, poor Punxsutawney's had a rough go of it lately... but who even knew about Sam? I didn't! In Texas, we don't need a Groundhog. Winter is but a bleep during Summer...
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm from SoCal, originally, and we didn't particularly need a groundhog, either, so I'd actually never heard of any of them. Poor babies...
DeleteThis was something I've never heard of before. Like Suzy said, in India, the lunar calender is generally spot on! ;)
ReplyDeleteIt would have goofed up here, anyway. As I said, not even the weather is sure what it wants to do here. Everything is all mixed up.
DeleteWell technically, since March 22 is the first day of spring and February 2nd is almost eight weeks away (maybe 7 I didn't count) Spring doesn't officially arrive until equinox. So I've never put a lot of stock in these ground hogs. However, I would have gladly taken warmer temps on the first day of spring-- Yet they didn't come. I did get tired of waiting for it and almost booked a flight to Florida. Finally this week--warmer temps and rain. I'd like to say I wish it were sunny, but I don't want to push my luck. LOL.
ReplyDeleteGreat post by the way!! :D Cheers, Jenn
I know how you feel. It's almost 11 am here in New York, and it's 74 degrees. I don't remember it ever being this hot so early in the year. But then, what do I know? i've only been here 4-1/2 years. :) We've also got the sun. I guess it's maing up for lost time.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post--thank you for letting me know. :D