By the time you’re reading this, you may already know that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, thereby warning residents of Pennsylvania to expect 6 more weeks of winter. Here in Canada, Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam did not see his shadow, nor did Alberta’s Balzac Billy, giving us some hope that winter’s end is around the corner. But Ontario’s Wiarton Willie swung the prognosticating rodent pendulum back to the middle by concurring with Punxsutawney Phil and predicting 6 more weeks.
It’s fun to entertain these superstitious notions, but you may be wondering, where do they originate? Read on to learn about the history of Groundhog Day in North America.
Since at least 1886, people in the United States and some parts of Canada have anxiously awaited the emergence of a rodent to determine whether they will have to endure six more weeks of winter or whether spring is officially upon them. While the act has become a little bit of superstition mixed with a lot of fun and fanfare, the tradition of Groundhog Day has its roots going back well before Canadians and Americans began to observe it.
No comments:
Post a Comment