The History of Groundhog Day

Does he bite? Is he hard to handle? Does he fear heights, or is he just scared of his shadow?

According to legend, on February 2, the groundhog comes out of his burrow after a long winters sleep to look for his shadow. If he sees it, he scurries back in his hole, certain that its going to be six more weeks of winter.

Groundhog tradition is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, theyll be two winters in the year." Candlemas was the day clergy in Europe blessed candles and distributed them to the early Christians. If the sun came out on February 2, halfway between winter and spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

In Punxsutawney, Pa., in 1886, the first official celebration of Groundhog Day occurred on Gobblers Knob, home of the world-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, king of the marmots, seer of seers, prognosticator of prognosticators!

Each year tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Punxsutawney, a small town of 6,800 residents, 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Spectators brave the cold and the crowds to witness Phils forecast. This year, state police, bomb sniffing dogs and National Guard troops will enforce security measures, such as hand-checking backpacks.

All this attention is no problem for Philhes used to the spotlight. He even co-starred with Bill Murray in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.

So will Phil see his shadow this winter? Ninety percent of the time he does. Either way, his yearly prediction will make it into the congressional recordbelieve it or not!