Sunday was Groundhog Day, the annual weirdo holiday where weather-prediction rodents and other animals come out of hibernation and pretend to tell us what the weather will be like over the next few weeks; people stand around and cheer while this happens. I do not understand any of this and I am sure I never will. But that does not mean I don’t like it.
Two years ago, Quebec meteorologist/rodent Fred la Marmotte was found dead on the morning of Groundhog Day; he had likely died the previous year. But organizers in Val-d’Espoir went along with the ceremony anyway, announcing “la mor du Fred” to the crowd right before he was to make his prediction. A new Fred made it to Feb. 2 this year and said we’d get six more weeks of winter, though the CBC reports that Canada’s weather oracles were at odds: Lucy the Lobster, Shubenacadie Sam, and Fred agreed, but Wiarton Willie said we’d get an early spring. Soon, these predictions will cost 25 percent more.
The king of the groundhogs is Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, who lives in a “burrow” at that town’s City Hall all year—possibly so they can quickly, silently replace him if he happens to die the year before like Fred did. The Western Pennsylvania borough of about 6,000 people holds an annual early-morning event before Phil makes his prediction, and yesterday I watched the whole thing. Every time I see this ceremony, I am reminded it is basically a musical that the town puts on a show for guests passing through. It is very Pennsylvania. It’s great.
But that’s my opinion, and I should let you decide for yourself. I have made a supercut of some of my favorite moments from yesterday’s celebration at Gobbler’s Knob. It was nice to see Gov. Josh Shapiro take on a new tone: Instead of using Barack Obama’s cadence, he attempted to channel The Rock and got disturbingly close.
Phil saw his shadow, by the way, which I hope you will understand after watching this video is in no way the actual point of this gathering.
If you’d like to know more about Phil and the tradition of whatever that was, there is more information at groundhog.org.
