Groundhog Day
Who believes in that claptrap anyway? Me. Yeah, really. When Phil pokes his nose out of the ground, I hope it’s overcast and he doesn’t see his shadow.
Sure, it’s not real and groundhogs don’t predict the next six weeks of winter and/or the early arrival of Spring. But it’s sort of been imprinted in us that a particular rodent in one part of a state has that ability. So, we sort of go along with it and make a big deal on tv as to whether the little fellow did or did not see its shadow.
Has to do with the animal indicating the appearance of spring, or not, and has been celebrated in Pennsylvania since the 1700’s. Over in Europe, ancient weather lore has a badger or bear doing the prognosticating. Pagans celebrated Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar and predicts the weather.
No animal were harmed in the making of this legend. One animal-rights group wants to have a robot groundhog used, since it claims the ‘hog is in hibernation and attempts to wake it up disturb the wintry slumber and/or other groundhoggery functions. Or, to put it another way, supposedly, “We are not amused.”
But those who know groundhogs say they are often up & about during the winter, especially during this period, and the wise handlers know which ones are best for the celebration which, at least in Pennsylvania, attract upwards of 40,000 and, I suspect, stick around for more than a glance at Phil. One for Phil, one for the road.
Sure, it’s not real and groundhogs don’t predict the next six weeks of winter and/or the early arrival of Spring. But it’s sort of been imprinted in us that a particular rodent in one part of a state has that ability. So, we sort of go along with it and make a big deal on tv as to whether the little fellow did or did not see its shadow.
Has to do with the animal indicating the appearance of spring, or not, and has been celebrated in Pennsylvania since the 1700’s. Over in Europe, ancient weather lore has a badger or bear doing the prognosticating. Pagans celebrated Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar and predicts the weather.
No animal were harmed in the making of this legend. One animal-rights group wants to have a robot groundhog used, since it claims the ‘hog is in hibernation and attempts to wake it up disturb the wintry slumber and/or other groundhoggery functions. Or, to put it another way, supposedly, “We are not amused.”
But those who know groundhogs say they are often up & about during the winter, especially during this period, and the wise handlers know which ones are best for the celebration which, at least in Pennsylvania, attract upwards of 40,000 and, I suspect, stick around for more than a glance at Phil. One for Phil, one for the road.
posted by Tom Carten at 2:58 AM
1 Comments:
It is a nice tradition, lightens up the winter for a few hours, gives some people a ray of hope for spring and all but personally I don't think he gives a S***. I mean hey, look at it this way, supposing a ground hog woke you up at 3:00 AM for an extended weather forecast, would you really care?
But in defence of these animals I believe that those select few, the ones who are woke up at 3:00 AM, are the only ones of their kind who have a positive job in life because I have yet to see anything usefel in their existence.
They are as useful as
........................
You fill in the line
LOL CJV la marmotte
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