Every year on Feb 2, people from all over the nation gather together watch and see if our faithful groundhog sees his shadow. This day is considered Groundhog Day and unfortunately this year we will be receiving six more weeks of winter.
How this special day works is, if the Groundhog come out of his hole and sees his shadow it is six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t see his shadow then it hypothetically means that spring is on its way, and winter is coming to a sweet end.
When asked her thoughts on the Groundhogs prediction on six more weeks of winter Junior Laura Nix said, “I personally enjoy cold weather, so i am not too upset about the outcome” she then added, “Spring is rainy is way too rainy so i would much rather stick to the cold.”
The groundhog of the hour’s name is Punxsutawney Phil, and is supposedly 130 years old even though the lifespan of a normal ground hog is from six to eight years. It seems to be a mystery on how Mr. Phil just so happens to live for so long.
The very first Groundhog Day was Feb 2 1887 by groundhog hunters in Punxsutawney. They believed and eventually announced that Phil the groundhog was the nations one and only weather predicting groundhog. This all stems back to the early German settlers who believed that hedgehogs could predict the weather, there were not very many hedgehogs around when the Germans settled in the United States so Groundhogs would have to do. Of course, all around the nation, some towns have their very own weather predicting groundhogs, but they are nowhere near as Popular as Phil.
In the city of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, ever year on Groundhogs day it is filled with festive and all around celebration, In hopes for a early spring. From live music, to loud cheers all at sunrise, in hope for a good outcome for the fate of winter. The question is, do people actually believe this woodchuck can predict the fate of winter and spring, or is it all just a superstition.
Some people like Junior Gia Jacobi think that this day is special and truthful,”As a kid I remember in first and second grade, my teachers would pass out a craft on groundhogs day and we would always wait to see if he saw his shadow or not. I always got excited for the day to see if spring was coming early.” She later added, “I would say, I believed in ground hogs day more when I was younger than I do now because school recognizes it as a big deal to little kids. Now I just scroll through twitter to find the answer. It doesn’t really have the same spirit as it used to”
Junior Emma Thornton certainly seems to think the opposite as she stated, “I do not understand how a groundhog can predict when spring will come based on whether it sees its shadow” she then adds, “I may not believe or celebrate the day, but it is fun to watch and see the groundhogs prediction.”
Whether you believe the woodchuck can predict the fate of the weather or not, only time will tell if Mr. Phil the Groundhogs prediction is correct. Story by Kiara Thomas-Powell
