It’s February 2nd, aka GROUNDHOG DAYYYY!
I thought I would do a lil piece on the star of Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil (Pucks-a-tani), from Pennsylvania.
Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil (all the other groundhog weathermen are imposter’s), and that he has made weather prognostications for over 120 years as of 2010. They say that every summer, Phil is fed a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Punch, which magically lengthens his life for seven years. This is done by Inner Circle members. According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in “Groundhogese”, which only the Inner Circle appear to understand, and then his prediction is translated for the entire world.
Data shows, however, groundhogs (widely known as woodchucks) have a maximum lifespan of 10 years in captivity or 6 years in the wild. Thus it is certain that Phil has been replaced many times. The actual method whereby the Inner Circle makes the “prediction” is unknown.
- Phil and the town of Punxsutawney were portrayed in the movie Groundhog Day, although the scenes were actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois.[5]
- Phil was also the main attraction on an episode of the MTV series Viva La Bam. The episode was titled “Groundhog Day” and it aired on April 10, 2005. In the episode, street skater Bam Margera held a special race in honor of Punxsutawney Phil.
- Until 2009, Ty Inc. annually released a “Punxsutawney Phil” Beanie Baby to celebrate Groundhog’s Day. The toy is shown consistently wearing a top hat and bow tie in order to appear as a member of the Inner Circle. Three varieties are known to exist: the first is a consumer model with a black bow-tie (some have black or purple capes as well), which is released nation-wide; a second, with a red bow-tie, is sold in a few stores in Punxsutawney itself, including at the Chamber of Commerce (both the red- and the black-tie versions benefit the Groundhog Club Inner Circle of Punxsutawney); a third version, with a silver bow-tie and sold directly through the Ty Store online shop, raised funds for the Clearfield-Jefferson Red Cross. The “Punxsutawney Phil” Beanie Baby (with a red bow) for 2009 was the last in the series; it was available only at the Punxsutawney Souvenir Shop.
- In 2010, a new text service was started to announce Phil’s predictions. Mobile phone users could text the word “Groundhog” to the number 247365.
- Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to reexamine his life and priorities. – Wikipedia
Punxsutawney Phil
Groundhog Dayyy !
About Groundhogs:
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if agroundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication.
Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g’spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. Other celebrations of note in Pennsylvania take place in Quarryville in Lancaster County, the Anthracite Region of Schuylkill County, the Sinnamahoning Valley and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, notable celebrations occur in the Frederick and Hagerstown areas of Maryland, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Woodstock, Illinois, Lilburn, Georgia and among the Amish populations of over twenty states and Wiarton,Ontario Canada. The University of Dallas in Irving, Texas has taken Groundhog Day as its official university holiday and organizes a large-scale celebration every year in honor of the Groundhog.
Groundhog Day received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil. -Wikipedia
- Phil and the town of Punxsutawney were portrayed in the movie Groundhog Day, although the scenes were actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois.[5]
- Phil was also the main attraction on an episode of the MTV series Viva La Bam. The episode was titled “Groundhog Day” and it aired on April 10, 2005. In the episode, street skater Bam Margera held a special race in honor of Punxsutawney Phil.
- Until 2009, Ty Inc. annually released a “Punxsutawney Phil” Beanie Baby to celebrate Groundhog’s Day. The toy is shown consistently wearing a top hat and bow tie in order to appear as a member of the Inner Circle. Three varieties are known to exist: the first is a consumer model with a black bow-tie (some have black or purple capes as well), which is released nation-wide; a second, with a red bow-tie, is sold in a few stores in Punxsutawney itself, including at the Chamber of Commerce (both the red- and the black-tie versions benefit the Groundhog Club Inner Circle of Punxsutawney); a third version, with a silver bow-tie and sold directly through the Ty Store online shop, raised funds for the Clearfield-Jefferson Red Cross. The “Punxsutawney Phil” Beanie Baby (with a red bow) for 2009 was the last in the series; it was available only at the Punxsutawney Souvenir Shop.
- In 2010, a new text service was started to announce Phil’s predictions. Mobile phone users could text the word “Groundhog” to the number 247365.
- Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to reexamine his life and priorities. – Wikipedia
Punxsutawney Phil
Groundhog Dayyy !
About Groundhogs:
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if agroundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication.
Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g’spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. Other celebrations of note in Pennsylvania take place in Quarryville in Lancaster County, the Anthracite Region of Schuylkill County, the Sinnamahoning Valley and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, notable celebrations occur in the Frederick and Hagerstown areas of Maryland, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Woodstock, Illinois, Lilburn, Georgia and among the Amish populations of over twenty states and Wiarton,Ontario Canada. The University of Dallas in Irving, Texas has taken Groundhog Day as its official university holiday and organizes a large-scale celebration every year in honor of the Groundhog.
Groundhog Day received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil. -Wikipedia
