Punxsutawney Phil: The animal who inspired America’s Groundhog Day celebrations
We all know about human heroes from the pages of our history books. But what about animals who were part of history too? Some of you might know about Laika, a Russian stray that was the first dog to have gone to space and was also the first living being to orbit the Earth. Then there was also Rin Tin Tin, the male German Shepherd born in France who appeared in 27 silent films and served in the First World War too, alongside Cher Ami, the carrier pigeon and war hero, deemed to have saved American troops. But have you ever heard of Punxsutawney Phil? No? Well, it is a groundhog (large ground-dwelling, squirrel-like rodent, reddish brown in colour and native to North America) who lives in the town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania, USA and is regarded as one of the world’s most famous weather forecasters.
Meet Punxsutawney Phil: The groundhog meteorologist
Are you wondering how can a groundhog predict the weather? Well, Phil can, without even uttering a word. All this Punxsutawney-based groundhog has to do is to step outside of its burrow. That’s it! No going to school, no earning degrees, no studying complex radar maps, just making an appearance. In fact, it is so famous and trusted, that in its honour, the town of Punxsutawney (and now other parts of USA and Canada too) celebrates the annual Groundhog Day on 2nd February. Wondering why 2nd February? Because for the residents of Punxsutawney, it’s the day of transition between winter and spring.
Okay, so if 2nd February is Phil’s big day, what does it do on rest of the 364 days? Well, legends have it that Phil resides in the Punxsutawney Library with wife Phyllis, and a special group of people called the ‘Inner Circle’ (who wear distinguished top hats and tuxedos) takes care of them. In fact, it’s this same group that takes charge of the Groundhog Day celebrations after ostensible communication with Phil.
The legend of Phil and the Groundhog Day
Since the 19th century, people in Punxsutawney have believed that a groundhog named Phil has special forecasting powers. Its home is called ‘Gobbler’s Knob’ (a rural part of the town) and on the morning of 2nd February (preferably around sunrise), if it emerges from its burrow temporarily and is unable to see its own shadow (on cloudy days!), here will be early spring. You may find this weird, but guess what, hundreds and thousands of locals and visitors gather around to witness this event.
Okay, so what happens if it does see its shadow and the sky is clear? It returns to its hole immediately and people assume that there will be six added weeks of winter. Wait, the folklore doesn’t end here either.
Turns out, once Phil makes its decision, he turns to speak to the President of the Groundhog Club and conveys the message in a secret language called ‘Groundhogese.’ And finally, the President translates this prediction to the Inner Circle who then pass it on to the onlookers.
Now, in case you are wondering whether there’s any scientific basis behind this weather forecast or not, the answer is no! Groundhogs are no crickets (they can detect temperatures!), and this is nothing more than a century old belief.
What’s interesting here is that, the life expectancy of groundhogs is less than 10 years, which means there have been too many Phils over the years. However, Phil-believers claim that it’s a single groundhog who is fed a special mystery Groundhog Punch (elixir of life) every summer by the Inner Circle. This lengthens its life expectancy by seven years. Bizarre yet fascinating, isn’t it?
Origin of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day that is celebrated with music and food is a civic festival based on the above-mentioned “communal light-hearted suspension of disbelief.” It may have been inspired by the 18th century German custom in which a badger or a bear was believed to predict the coming of spring. The German festival is known as Candlemas.
Regardless, the Inner Circle that is responsible for Groundhog Day preparations consults with Phil and then arranges for two scrolls ahead of the ceremony, one proclaiming additional six weeks of winter and the other proclaiming the onset of early spring. For 2022, Phil’s prediction was six more weeks of winter. And guess what? It was right!