It's Groundhog day in Pennsylvania, USA. If the Groundhog sees its shadow, we get 6 more weeks of winter. Folklore here. LOL They make a big holiday out of Punxy Phil in Penna. Party time. b moderator's note: moved topic to more appropriate forum
Happy Groundhog Day! I do not really get the whole thing, but if it makes people happy, then good! There is a little town near Lincoln, and they have "Unadilla Bill" the groundhog... Have not heard whether he saw the shadow or not. (it is sunny right now!)
He must of seen it. They have a real tourist attraction of it. About 50 mile from me. We dont go. But it is funny I think They put it on the news this am. B
Barb, I saw it on the news here in east Texas. There are ground hogs, frogs and all sorts of animals, that they gauge spring on. I don't take credence in all of the hype ...just look for the green!
Groundhog Day events seem to have their roots in the Celtic observance of Imbolc which means literally 'in the belly' and refers to the pregnant Ewes. The date is pretty much half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox...depending on which old calender you use. In old Gaelic folklore the Cailleach, the spirit who rules winter, would take a walk on this day to gather firewood to last the remainder of the winter. If she wanted winter to last a little while longer she would make the day bright and sunny so she could see to gather enough wood to last. If the day was dark and cloudy, the people would say that the Cailleach was still sleeping and without the extra firewood she would let Spring arrive early.
That is interesting! Thanks for the history/folklore lesson! I like that! By the way, the groundhog "Unadilla Bill" in Nebraska, about 30 miles southeast of me, has reportedly not seen his shadow this year (strange, because its sunny ) So, we will be having spring right around the corner!!! OK.... And Toni, I'm loving your roses, ours are still sleepin away...and covered with crusty, old snow that won't melt.
TONI ~ You should change from 'Toni - Mistress of Garden Junque' to 'Toni - The teacher'. Love the history lesson. I still say, just look for the green!
I don't know about 6 more weeks, but I DO know that there are THREE snow storms redicted for my area in the next 7 days. The one predicted for Friday could bring more than 2 feet, according to the forecaster, Foot. He's been right every time for quite a long time... wonder what the next week will bring. I had fun describing Ground Hog Day to some kids at school today. We drew groundhogs.
Check out Foot's forecast -- looks like the weekend has potential.... yikes. http://www.footsforecast.org/ Good for the Maryland, Pennsylvania, DC and Virginia folks too. Drissel, where are you in NJ (what exit??)? I lived in Bergen Co for a couple of years.... good friend's mom still lives in Margate, closer to you. Love South Jersey -- esp Cape May...
Turnpike 2, first exit off the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I live in a college town. The name of the University is Rowan. I'm only about two miles from there. I used to live in Maryland when I was a child...Easton. My husband and I drove through when we last visited St. Michael's and Tilghman (sp?) Island. I like Cape May too, but we go more often to a very small beach town called Strathmere between Sea Isle and Ocean City.
