The ritual and ceremony in Pennsylvania was done in secrecy til the mid 1960s and only Punxsutawney Phils forecast was given out to the public. Since that time, Phils confident forecast has become a national news media event.
The little groundhog comes out of his comfortably heated den and looks for his shadow and supposedly tells his prediction to one of the Groundhog Club members in groundhogenese. The Club then then translates the forecast for all of us folks to enjoy.
Legend tells us that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he doesnt see his shadow, it means spring is just around he corner. For the record, about 90% of the time, Phil sees his shadow. This tradition actually started back in 1887 and has become an American icon of sorts.
In reality, the groundhog, also called woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. How many ever heard the other tongue twister, How many chucks could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Groundhogs are actually in the rodent family; as with other rodents, woodchucks live a feast-or-famine life, gorging themselves in the summ ...
