What is it, when is it celebrated and what is its origin?

Today, 2 Februaryis she Groundhog Day ,roundhog day, In English). This is the day when Groundhog Phil comes out of its burrow, which is already located in the well-known municipality Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania), to predict When will the cold end? winter,

However, the tradition has been celebrated in the United States since the 18th century United States Library of Congress. Only 40% of the time your prediction works or is actually correct.

On the contrary, its popularity has increased since the 1990s. Among other reasons, it has gained special relevance at the international level as a result of Movies caught in time (1993), starring bill murray And Andie McDowell.

What is Groundbreaking Day?

According to tradition, if February 2nd is a cloudy day, Phil the Groundhog will not be able to see his shadow will definitely come out of the hole , That is to say, the hardest part of winter has passed and spring will soon arrive. But on the contrary, it’s sunny and Phil sees his shadow, Will return to his hole because winter will last six more weeks,

Predicting when the climate will warm, even through unconventional methods, provided important information for American and Canadian farmers.

What is the origin of Groundhog Day?

Some experts place the origins of Groundhog Day in Prophecies that the ancient Romans made at the beginning of the month of February However instead they used this large rodent Elephant,

date of 2 february It began after the fall of the Roman Empire, when Christian tradition Of La Candelaria, a festival that celebrates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the purification of the Virgin. On that day, candles are lit in windows and in churches in honor of Mary, although in Germany they take advantage of that date to continue making prophecies based on the hedgehog.

Already in the 18th century, German settlers imported this tradition to the United States But, not finding the hedgehog, he decided to make his own predictions about the climate. With another animal that hibernates: the groundhog.,

According to the official Groundhog Day website, another date worth noting is 1886 since that was the year A local Punxsutawney newspaper picked up this tradition for the first time , This news led to more people coming the next year to see what Phil the Groundhog’s prediction was.

Phil is the most famous groundhog of Groundhog Day, but Punxsutawney isn’t the only one who makes his predictions. For example, there are, Willy on futurologist woodstock (Illinois); Chuck from the zoo New York Staten Island one of two warton wiley most famous Canada , Another wonderful marmot, milltown mail From New Jersey, will miss this tradition for the second year in a row. In 2022, Milltown Mel died just hours before Groundhog Day celebrations and, as The Wall Streeter Journal reports, New Jersey organizers have been unable to find another groundhog to take his place this February 2.

Thanks to tradition and Bill Murray’s film Groundhog Day has also established itself as Expression Recurrent, used to refer something that is repeated continuously,