Folklore and Tradition

My diary tells me that today, Sunday 2 February 2020 is Groundhog Day in the USA and Canada. I didn’t really have any idea about what this meant, apart from a vague notion of a film and the same day happening over and over again, so had to look it up.

Groundhog Day is a popular tradition celebrated in Canada and the United States on February 2nd. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks, and if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.

The official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, lives at Gobbler’s Knob near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Here thousands of people will gather to watch a rodent predict the weather at the end of winter. So, will the USA see six more weeks of winter? I would love to hear from any USA followers what happened today?