Groundhog Day 2020: When is Groundhog Day in the US this year – What is a Groundhog?
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The traditions of Groundhog Day date back to the 1800s from the Pennsylvania Dutch. On this day, a groundhog will emerge from his burrow and deliver a forecast about whether spring will arrive imminently, or be delayed for six more weeks.
So when is Groundhog Day?
Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 each year – this year, that’s a Sunday.
The earliest record of the day is from February 2, 1840.
You can live stream all the fun from the big day HERE.
What is a groundhog?
A groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.
The groundhog is a lowland creature, found throughout much of the eastern United States across Canada and into Alaska.
The groundhog prefers open country and the edges of woodland, and is rarely far from its burrow entrance.
In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average, while in human captivity, groundhogs reportedly live up to 14 years.
Typically shy creatures, groundhogs often retreat to their burrows when they feel observed.
Despite their heavy-bodied appearance, groundhogs are accomplished swimmers and occasionally climb trees when escaping predators or when they want to survey their surroundings.
They have the capacity to be hardy fighters, with large front incisors used if their burrow is threatened.
When alarmed, they use a high-pitched whistle to warn the rest of their colony, earning them the nickname ‘whistle-pig’.
The tradition decrees that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and casts a shadow due to clear weather, it will scurry back into its hole and winter will persist for six more weeks.
However, if the little rodent pops out and it’s cloudy, it won’t cast a shadow, which is said to mean spring will arrive early.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as large as 40,000 gather each year.
The ceremony centres around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.
During the ceremony, Phil emerges from his burrow in Gobblers Knob, a little woodland area near the town, where the future of the weather is decided.
A select group, called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, takes care of Phil year-round and plans the annual ceremony.
At daybreak on February 2, Punxsutawney Phil awakens from his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob, is helped to the top of a tree stump by his handlers.
Then, Phil whispers to the President of the Inner Circle, in a language known as ‘Groundhogese’, whether he has seen his shadow.
The President of the Inner Circle, the only person able to understand Groundhogese through his possession of an ancient acacia wood cane, then interprets Phil’s message.
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