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Groundhog Day is celebrated in Canada and the United States every year on 2 February. Legend has it that watching a groundhog emerge from its burrow can determine the weather forecast for the coming weeks. Accordingly, if it is a sunny day and the groundhog sees its shadow, it goes back to sleep for six more weeks of winter. The observance of Groundhog Day in the United States first occurred in German communities in Pennsylvania, according to known records. The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is an entry on February 2, 1840, in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, according to the book on the subject by Don Yoder. This was a Groundhog Day in Quebec features “ Fred la Marmotte ” Quebec’s prognosticating groundhog, Fred, or “Gros Fred,” was predicting Quebec’s springtime from 2010 to 2017, after being replaced by his son, “Petit Fred” in 2018 but returned to predict in 2019. Fred is unique in being the only groundhog in North America to make his The term “Ground-hog Day” first appeared in mid-1800s America. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, was hosting celebrations under that name by the 1880s, and by the end of the nineteenth century Groundhog Day was celebrated, if that is the correct word, throughout the United States. Canada got its first Groundhog Day in 1956. Canada embraced the Groundhog Day tradition in 1956 with its first groundhog, Wiarton Willie, in Wiarton, Ontario. Initially, the Groundhog was humorously represented by a fur hat, but Willie soon became a household name for his February predictions. How is Groundhog Day in Canada different to Groundhog Day in the United States? Groundhog Day is not all that different in Canada and in the United States. It is celebrated on the same day each year in both countries. As a result of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic time zone, Shubenacadie Sam makes the first Groundhog Day in North America. Canada’s first groundhog was a bear January 30, 2019. Story by Jo Ann Johnston. Move over Punxsutawney Phil, Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam – it turns out the earliest animal to predict the coming of spring in North America was not a groundhog, but a bear. The tradition in Wiarton, the first “official” groundhog in Canada, began in true Canadian fashion, in a bar. In 1955 some Wiarton friends organized a party in the bar of the local Arlington Access articles from across Canada with one account. Shubenacadie Sam was the first groundhog in North America to make a prediction. Folklorists say the Groundhog Day ritual may have Canada's marquee Groundhog Day event first took place in 1956 when Mac McKenzie, a resident of the central Ontario town of Wiarton, was looking for a pretext to throw a party. There are 14 weather-predicting Canadian groundhogs who made predictions in 2024.. Use the Groundhog Map to locate your fave canuk prognosticator. As usual, Shubenacadie Sam was the first groundhog in North America to make a prediction. But Nova Scotia’s famed meteorological marmot did not appear to be in any rush. The Birth of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. The first recorded Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2nd, 1886, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The event was organized by local newspaper editor Clymer Freas and a group of businessmen and groundhog hunters known as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Canada got its first Groundhog Day in 1956. Canada embraced the Groundhog Day tradition in 1956 with its first groundhog, Wiarton Willie, in Wiarton, Ontario. Initially, the Groundhog was humorously represented by a fur hat, but Willie soon became a household name for his February predictions. The consensus on spring’s early arrival extended to western Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, whose annual declaration exploded in popularity after the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day”. As usual, Shubenacadie Sam was the first groundhog in North America to make a prediction. The following year, 1887, marked the first official Groundhog Day event at Gobbler’s Knob. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, formed in 1899, further popularized the tradition. The first Groundhog Day celebration was held on Feb. 2, 1877, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. And many towns across the U.S. and Canada celebrate the day with their own weather-predicting The first Groundhog Day celebration was held on Feb. 2, 1877, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. And many towns across the U.S. and Canada celebrate the day with their own weather-predicting The Groundhog Day concept first became popular in Canada in 1956 when Wiarton Willie became a household name for his early February weather predictions. Wiarton’s Groundhog Day festival grew as Willie’s fame increased. How is Groundhog Day in Canada different to Groundhog Day in the United States? Groundhog Day is not all that different in Canada and in the United States. It is celebrated on the same day each year in both countries. As a result of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic time zone, Shubenacadie Sam makes the first Groundhog Day in North America.
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