Feb. 2, 2011 was a good day for any spring-hungry American. Many around the country awaited the verdict of whether or not there would be six more weeks of winter by Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
According to the old German superstition, if the groundhog sees his shadow he will return to his hole only to hibernate signifying six more weeks of winter. However, if the groundhog does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring–in six weeks.
Although the groundhog’s observation may not really mean much, for most Americans and Canadians it’s about the tradition.
Groundhog Day may seem like a funny holiday, but thousands of years ago, people would keep an eye out for when hibernating animals would come out of their holes, meaning that spring was near.
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil has been predicting the weather since the late 1800s. One groundhog in Pennsylvania did not see his shadow, but some groundhogs around the US didn’t even make it out of their holes due to bad weather and snow storms.
So regardless if the famous Punxsutawney Phil is truly predicting the weather or not, it seems as though the tough winter is not quite over yet and it will probably continue to be filled with plenty of snow storms and cold weather. Phil did not see his shadow this year and, according to his prediction, there will only be six more weeks until spring–or is it six more weeks of winter?