The round rat has spoken…
At 7:25 a.m. this morning (6:25am our time), under cloudy skies and temps near freezing, “Punxsatawney Phil” saw his shadow in the legendary tiny town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to folklore, Phil’s sighting of his own shadow means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Had Phil not seen his shadow, it would have meant there would be an early spring.
Bill and Phil, via YouTube frame grab. DON'T DRIVE ANGRY!
Now, for some FUN PHIL FAQ’S:
Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
How often is Phil’s prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
How many “Phils” have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!
Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the “elixir of life,” a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life. Then, this morning, as he does on EVERY February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob – in front of thousands of followers from all over the world – to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
No! Phil’s forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in “Groundhogese” (a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”
Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br’er Groundhog.
Thanks to www.groundhog.org for all this vital info.
And if your alarm clock radio plays I GOT YOU BABE by [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Sonny & Cher[/lastfm] every day at exactly 6am (at the exact same place in the song), you may be in for a Deja-view of Phil again day after day.
Now, a clip from the movie GROUNDHOG DAY with the legendary [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bill Murray[/lastfm]! Mandatory to watch the movie AGAIN today. It’s the law. ~JZ.
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