SPRING INTO ACTION
Who is Punxsutawney Phil?
Punxsutawney Phil predicts the weather every February
EACH year, Groundhog Day sees thousands flock to a small town in Pennsylvania, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.
According to folklore, Punxsutawney Phil can predict the weather - either promising an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
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Who is Punxsutawney Phil?
Punxsutawney Phil is the famous groundhog who traditionally makes the spring weather forecast every year on Groundhog Day.
According to folklore, if the weather is cloudy when Phil emerges from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - around two miles from Punxsutawney in - then spring will come early.
If it is sunny, he will see his shadow and will be frightened back inside – and winter will linger on for another six weeks.
2023 marked the 137th year Phil cast his meteorological prediction, and the maintains that only one groundhog (who usually live from six to eight years) has ever held the title.
Organisers therefore declare that any other groundhog is an impostor and that the true Phil's prediction is correct 100% of the time.
They attribute Phil's freakishly long lifespan to him drinking a sip of a secret "elixir of life" every summer at a Groundhog Picnic.
GROUNDHOG DAY
When is Groundhog Day and what are its origins?
Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 every year, the same date as the Christian festival Candlemas.
The tradition began as a custom among the German community in Pennsylvania in 1887.
At the time, a man named Clymer H. Freas was the editor of the local paper, Punxsutawney Spirit, and began promoting the town’s groundhog as the official "Groundhog Day meteorologist."
The tradition is still celebrated today, and many towns start festivities before winter sunrise so that they have time to watch a groundhog stepping out of a burrow.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is still held in Punxsutawney, where up to 40,000 gather.
The tradition received global attention as a result of the 1993 film starring Bill Murray, where his character Phil Connors gets stuck living the same day on repeat.
What did Punxsutawney Phil predict for 2024?
Punxsutawney Phil made his yearly weather prediction on the morning of Friday, February 2, 2024.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning spring will come early this year.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow for the previous two years, which predicts six more weeks of winter.
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