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UB True Hollywood Story: Punxsutawney Phil
Feb02

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UB True Hollywood Story: Punxsutawney Phil

Posted by on Feb 2, 2012 in News | 4 comments

Groundhog Day 2012, Punxsutawney Phil, Who is Punxsutawney Phil, 6 more weeks of winter

"Yup, there's my shadow!"

6 more weeks of winter y’all! So says Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog from Pennsylvania who thousands of folks flock to see emerge from his stump the beginning of February every year. It is said that if Phil see’s his shadow then winter will last 6 more weeks, as he did today. This year marked the 126th year in a row of the unique celebration.

The tradition of seeking out woodland creatures to help determine the weather dates back to the Romans who also believed the weather conditions in the first days of February were useful in predicting an early spring. The Romans used hedgehogs, not groundhogs, to aid their forecasts. This tradition made its way down generations and was used by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania.

In 1887 a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney dubbed themselves the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and declared their furry oracle, Punxsutawney Phil, the one and only “official” weather-prognosticating groundhog. The Punxsutawney ceremony originated around the same time.

Pretty cool, huh? Happy Groundhog Day from all of us here at Unicorn Booty!

groundhog day 2012, Punxsutawney Phil, 6 more weeks of winter, who is Punxsutawney Phil

(via National Geographic, photo via Cake Wrecks)