Groundhog day is tomorrow and we all have our fingers crossed that Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow! This celebration of predicting whether or not winter will last 6 weeks longer began back in the 1800s right here in Pennsylvania. Every single year, Americans wait to see Punxsutawney Phil emerging from his burrow. Groundhog day is celebrated with festivities, food, and speeches.
The way it works is if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow (meaning it is a sunny morning) winter will last another dreadful six weeks. However, if he doesn’t see his shadow (a cloudy morning) spring will arrive early!
In celebration here are some Groundhog Day fun facts:
- Groundhog Day lands on February 2nd every year.
- Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous groundhog there is.
- Groundhog Day is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
- There are around 40,000 people that attend the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, PA.
- Organizers of the event claim that Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions are around 75%-90% accurate.
- Some people get this confused but, a groundhog is also known as a woodchuck.
- The first Groundhog Day was held in 1886.
- Punxsutawney Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat.
- Punxsutawney Phil weighs 22 pounds
- Groundhogs live six to eight years. However, caretakers say that Phil is fed “Groundhog Punch” every summer which extends his life for another seven years.
- You can get text message alerts of his predictions if you text “groundhog” to 247365
What is your prediction? Do you think we will have a very long winter ahead of us, or do you think blue skies and sunshine are soon to come?