Friday morning, Punxsutawney, PA began preparing for tomorrow’s 2013 Groundhog Day and the town ensured that Punxsutawney Phil is ready to come out for the occasion; millions of people around the United States are curious to know if winter will continue for another six weeks and according to legend Phil holds the answer.
The weather forecast in Punxsutawney over the next few days is cold, snowy and the sun has very little chance of coming out Saturday morning.
Thousands of people have begun to trickle into the small town of Punxsutawney, PA for the annual event and by Saturday morning, over 35,000 people will be there. But millions of people around the United States will be waiting and watching to see if the groundhog sees his shadow.
UPDATE: To see what Punxsutawney Phil predicted, click here.
Punxsutawney Phil has been coming out of his hole on Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for several centuries. February 2 is known as Groundhog Day; the movie of the same title with Bill Murray made the name famous in the 1990s.
Thursday, Mike Johnston, Vice President Emeritus of the Inner Circle said, according to PennLive.com:
It's supposed to be silly. We feel it was a convenient excuse to get together and have a party. Place yourself in 1870s Western Pennsylvania. It's pretty bleak out. You didn't need much of an excuse to go out and tip a beer.
As tradition follows, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow then we have six more weeks of winter, if he doesn’t see his shadow and it is a cloudy day then the next six weeks will be moderate.
Groundhog Day was first mentioned in the diary of Pennsylvania storekeeper, James Morris on February 5, 1841, according to Wikipedia he wrote:
Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.
For a video explanation of Groundhog Day, click here and scroll down.
Related articles:
Punxsutawney Phil comes out for Groundhog Day 2012; forecast is cloudy
No shadow for Punxsutawney Phil; forecasts early spring for 2011 (video)
Groundhog Day; Punxsutawney Phil comes out tomorrow
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Sources: PennLive.com and Wikipedia
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