What is Groundhog Day: the prediction of the American animal

This holiday the world owes to the United States and Canada, where it is celebrated for real. In the rest of the world people only know what Groundhog Day is and sometimes the history of the holiday. Celebrations are held annually on February 2, when people watch the marmot get out of the hole, thus predicting the arrival of spring.

Groundhog Day: Where do the predictions come from?

So, Groundhog Day is a holiday of spring predictions, when people actively monitor the behavior of animals crawling out of cozy minks. As you know, marmots are fearful creatures, so predictions should not be considered absolutely accurate. In most cases, the following trend can be traced: if the day turned out gloomy, the marmot does not notice its shadow and boldly emerges from the burrow. This sign is considered good - it means that soon spring will come. If, on February 2, Groundhog Day was sunny, the animal is likely to be afraid of its shadow and run away back to the burrow. Such a sign presages for at least 2 more months of cold weather.

On this day, all Americans who know what Groundhog Day is, thank the animal for the prediction and in every possible way praise the nation's favorite. Americans are incredibly faithful to the traditions, they still regularly keep statistics on the marmot's predictions, and only 40% of forecasts are correct. However, despite the disappointing statistics, in the US and Canada still hold whole festivals, dedicated to marmots, predictors.

History of the holiday

The traditional marmot day originated in Ancient Rome, and its concept was absolutely identical, but instead of the marmot the Romans chose as a predictor a simple hedgehog. In Rome, the feast was also celebrated on February 2, when the hedgehog woke up and looked at his behavior. The result, as well as with the marmot, depended on the courage of the beast - whether he would see or not see his shadow, get scared, or still get out of the hole.

Groundhog Day in America began to celebrate in the state of Pennsylvania, when once on February 2 the marmot suddenly got out of the mink, although theoretically it had to be in hibernation. Local residents were extremely surprised and saw in this a certain meteorological sense, from this the history of the holiday began in the modern world.

About what Groundhog Day, the whole world learned about 120 years ago, some countries of Western Europe have adopted this tradition and have preserved to this day. In Russia, hedgehog appears as a predictor, northern Germany awakens a badger, and in America, due to the lack of both, a marmot was chosen.

How to celebrate Groundhog Day

Today the marmot festival is connected not so much with predictions as with a simple desire to tear yourself away from everyday gray life. There are many ways to cheer yourself and the company on this day. If your friends also know what Groundhog Day is, ask them to arrange a small party with fun games.

You can, for example, play the game "Beast". This is a kind of pantomime, when the participants stand in a circle, and the leader whispers to everyone in the ear the name of any animal. Then the players try to guess who is who. You can arrange a holiday and with the family, for example, change roles: the husband conjures at the plate, and the wife plays computer games, the children at the same time are free to do anything, they will certainly come up with something to puzzle their parents.

Groundhog Day and Religion

The matter is that on February 2, from the astronomical point of view, is the middle of winter, this day marks an equal segment between the spring and autumn equinox, therefore it is important not only as an American holiday.

For example, the Catholic Church on this day celebrates the Lord's Sacrament or Gromnitsa. It is interesting that this holiday (like many others) came from paganism, where it was considered the day of sacrifice to the god Perun.

However, the traditions of the pagan holiday are incredibly close to the concept of Groundhog Day: on the day of Gromovnitsy, weather observations were also conducted. If the day turned out to be frosty, it means that warming is expected soon, and if on February 2 it's warm in the street - the harvest will be bad. The snowstorm meant a long winter.

The most famous groundhog-predictors

The very first and most famous marmot meteorologist was the founder of the holiday. He lived in Pennsylvania and called him Phil, and the Americans came up with a whole title in a few lines, and the city of Punxsutawny was dubbed the "Capital of the weather."

In Canada, there is also a hero - Willy from Wiarton. The marmot is known for the fact that every year it wakes up exactly on February 2, after which the owner of the animal (and, in combination, the mayor) listens to the prediction that the marmot whisperes in his ear. After the mission is completed, the marmot, yawning, returns back to the burrow. It is unlikely that the animal knows that a whole fan club has been formed among Canadians, and on the Internet it has a personal site that has won several awards ... Moreover, the largest marmot sculpture also belongs to Willy, it was built in 1995 by a Canadian sculptor, Also consisting of the fan club of Wiarton Willy ...

Despite the inaccuracy of predictions, marmots are still revered both in the US and in Canada, because people still want to believe in miracles, living in a modern dry world ...