Punxsutawney Phil
- Feb 2
- 2 min read
We have the new and improved version of Alexa software here at home and I asked her if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. She said, "He sure did! Six more weeks of winter! I guess we'll be spending more time together!"
While I appreciate the folks at Amazon trying to make Alexa more user friendly, her response this morning creeped me out a little. I said to my wife, "Alexa is flirting with me..." and got the look you'd expect a wife to give her husband when he says something a bit insane.
Punxsutawney introduced the first Groundhog Day in 1886 to the local newspaper. From that article, an annual trek to Gobbler's Knob has become a tradition and participation in the celebration of the event has spread to people all over the world.
So where did the idea of Groundhog Day originate? It started as a Christian religious holiday called Candlemas Day as the day Christians would take their candles to the church to get them blessed. Candlemas Day is February 2nd. And as most traditions evolve over time, an English Folk Song that highlights the transition to weather evolved:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
The traditional belief of Candlemas Day further evolved in Germany where an animal was introduced into the lore. According to German folklore, if a HEDGEHOG saw his shadow on Candlemas Day, there would be a "Second Winter" of 6 more weeks of bad weather. Since HEDGEHOGS are few and far between in the United States, a substitute similar hibernating animal was chosen.
America's hedgehog was the groundhog. And yes, Punxsutawney Phil is our groundhog and yes, he "saw" his shadow this morning:
Some facts about Punxsutawney Phil:
His predictions historically have been accurate about one third of the time (35-39% at most.
Phil has predicted 109 longer winters and only 21 early springs historically.
His full name is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.
The average lifespan of a groundhog is 3-6 years. There have been a number of "Phils" over the years. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil is 140 years old and has become immortal by consuming a secret "elixir of life". I'm thinking this is bull but not Red Bull.
New York has its own "Phil" - Charles G. Hogg of the Staten Island Zoo also predicts the weather.
Typically, upward of 40,000 people attend the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney. It used to be 5,000, but the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray boosted the output in subsequent years.
Enjoy this balmy 29 degrees currently. Phil and Alexa both say hello and enjoy the cold for a while.
The human festivities started at 3:00 AM.
But Phil didn't have to get up until 7:00 AM.
Millennial Phil ?😀
Gotta give Phil credit and his credit is due. His notoriety has made quite a few people quite a few bucks. So today, I thought I'd give it a shot and see if I could follow in Phil's "footsteps" and predict the next six weeks of meteorological activity. I walked outside at 0700 hours, saw my shadow, and went back to bed.
I can confirm, Phil and I are on the same page for six more weeks of winter weather.
A contract for 2027 with the Weather Channel is in the works. Only on America. LOL!
In past years, I've heard the full name of Phil many times not knowing that was his full name. Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. Who would have thought, I just thought it was news speak.