Groundhog Day’s origins: The tradition is rooted in European agricultural life, but the science behind it is questionable at best. The (actual) weather report: The vernal equinox, the official start of the spring season, is on March 19 this year, according to the National Weather Service. Prior to 2024, the groundhog had seen his shadow 107 times and not seen his shadow 20 times, according to the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. There were a few years in the late Milltown Mel is pictured in this file photo from Groundhog Day 2017. The groundhog passed away in 2022, forcing the cancellation of the borough's annual tradition of holding Groundhog Day ceremonies. "Today the Germans say the groundhog comes out of his winter quarters," read the diary entry, "and if he sees his shadow he returns in and remains there 40 days." The annual event dates to 1887 when a group of groundhog hunters first dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" and proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil to be the one-and-only weather USA TODAY provided live coverage of Groundhog Day events from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, which started after 6 a.m. ET, where Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction. Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 138th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2024. Groundhog Day 2023 livestream:Watch Punxsutawney Phil make his annual weather prediction More: Every Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicts the future weather. How often is he right? Call it a Groundhog Day déjà vu. For the fifth year in a row, a New Jersey borough has had to cancel its beloved Groundhog Day celebration for a simple, and pretty important, reason: They can't Punxsutawney Phil – the legendary groundhog weather watcher – woke up and saw his shadow Thursday morning, calling for six more weeks of winter. Each February 2, on Groundhog Day, the members Originally, Groundhog Day was a Celtic festival marking the year’s first cross-quarter day, or a midpoint between seasons. Read more about the ancient Celtic calendar here. Celebrated at the beginning of February, the day was called Imbolc —a term from Old Irish that is most often translated as “in the belly”—a reference to the soon Groundhog Day 2023 livestream:Watch Punxsutawney Phil make his annual weather prediction More: Every Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicts the future weather. How often is he right? While Groundhog Day isn't a federal holiday in the United States, the traditional observance celebrates the triumph of spring over winter. Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 2. This The club says Groundhog Day is the same today as when it first started — if the old-timey garb and scrolls are any sign — just with far more participants. That's thanks in large part to the Groundhog Day By Numbers. 1841 – A storekeeper named James Morris wrote and marked the date February 2 as Candlemas Day. 40,000 – The number of people who attend the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. 1886 – The year the first Groundhog Day was held in Punxsutawney. Groundhog Day, in the United States and Canada, day (February 2) on which the emergence of the groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following six weeks. In the United States the most popular event occurs in Pennsylvania and centers on a groundhog designated Punxsutawney Phil. When you look at Woodstock's town square today, it looks almost the same as when the movie "Groundhog Day" was being shot. Except there are now more businesses open than back in 1992. The first official Groundhog Day happened on February 2, 1887, in the very town it is celebrated in today. The holiday made a permanent home at Gobbler’s Knob the following year. According to On Groundhog Day 2023, Punxsutawney Phil emerged on Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania and saw his shadow once again. Which meant six more weeks of winter, according to What happened today, Freddy Groundhog? by Glass, Marvin. Publication date 1989 Freddy Groundhog gets ready for the big event on Groundhog Day Access-restricted-item
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