IN THE HOG HOUSE
Groundhog Day 2022: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter
PUNXSUTAWNEY Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter.
People gathered on Wednesday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he would see his shadow.
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According to folklore, there will be six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.
This year, an official read from a scroll that the groundhog saw his shadow, and therefore predicts six more weeks of Old Man Winter.
The event took place virtually last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, depriving the community, which is about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, of a boost from tourists.
It was streamed live and seen by more than 15,000 viewers worldwide at one point. About 150 cardboard cutouts of fans were there to “watch.”
The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent. The tradition began in a German community in Pennsylvania in 1887.
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February 2 was marked as Candlemas, a Christian holiday set 40 days after Christmas Day.
A small number of people from Punxsutawney went to Gobbler’s Knob to get a groundhog’s prediction of the weather, and the celebration has continued every year since.
The celebration was made famous by the 1993 film starring Bill Murray, where his character Phil Connors gets stuck living the same day on repeat.
February 2 was marked as Candlemas, a Christian holiday set 40 days after Christmas Day.
A small number of people from Punxsutawney went to Gobbler’s Knob to get a groundhog’s prediction of the weather, and the celebration has continued every year since.
According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times.
Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said.
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