Punxsutawney Phil showing his prediction to the world
Putting our Trust in the Hog
Having a groundhog predict the seasons is an American tradition that’s beloved by many. People throughout the country tune in to their radio stations, tv channels, or witness the event live to see if the groundhog will bless us with an early Spring, or if we’ll be stuck with six more weeks of Winter. Locally, we have two prominent groundhogs that we rely on to predict the seasons, Buckeye Chuck (based in Marion, Ohio), and Punxsutawney Phil (based in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania). This year, as many are thankful for, both groundhogs predicted that there would be an early Spring coming unto us.
Groundhog day started in America around the 1800s, although it is originally a German tradition. It’s also believed to be a Native American legend. But each story goes the same way in deciding whether or not there will be an early Spring. Every year the groundhog will come out of his hibernation on February 2nd, which is the halfway mark between Winter and Spring. Legend says that if it is sunny when the groundhog emerges from his hole, he will see his shadow and be scared back into his burrow. He will then stay there for another six weeks, meaning there will be six more weeks of Winter. However, if the groundhog emerges into a cloudy day, he declares an early Spring and will stay out because the weather is fair.
Most people think that having a groundhog predict the weather is absolutely crazy, and they’re right. Livescience.com talks about Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions by stating that, “Out of the 15 times that he didn't see his shadow and predicted an early Spring, he got it right seven times that's a 47 percent accuracy rate" (1). Factors such as weather, lighting placed around the groundhog, and how shy the groundhog is in front of a crowd of people are sure to affect the prediction. However, today the celebration is more about having fun and getting a good laugh in rather than actually relying on the groundhog to be right. This year Buckeye Chuck brought in around 300 people to the celebration in Marion, a small city in Ohio. A much larger celebration occurs with Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, where around 40,000 people attend.
This year, Buckeye Chuck emerged from his burrow at 7:41 am to make his live tv and radio prediction. Like Punxsutawney Phil had declared, Buckeye Chuck agreed that an early Spring was on its way! Although we can’t tell for sure whether or not these groundhogs will be right, it’s nice to think warmer weather is right around the corner. But we do have to remember that this is Ohio, where the weather is bipolar, so we can’t quite get our hopes up.