Groundhog Day

Phil's Ritual of Awakening heralds the coming of spring.According to popular tradition in the United States, it is believed that on this day, February 2, the groundhog climbs out of the burrow after hibernation to check whether spring has come. If the marmot sees its shadow (that is, if the day is sunny), then for about 6 weeks there will be bad weather. If he does not see the shadow, then spring is not far off. It is also important to climb the groundhog immediately back into the house or sit outside for a while. If you return to the house, it will be cold. But if he decides to stay in the air, it will be spring soon.

The official American groundhog lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and is called “Punxsutawney Phil.”

In the early morning of February 2, a group of gentlemen dressed in cylinders and tuxedos come to Turkey Hill. These are members of the Groundhog Club of Panxutoni. One of them, endowed with special powers: he is entrusted to perform the main ritual - to pull the Groundhog Phil out of his house and listen to Phil whisper his weather forecast in his ear for the next 6 weeks. This forecast is then announced to the many people who have come to Panxutoni to witness this exciting event.

Groundhog Day was officially celebrated on February 2, 1886. Already then, the Groundhog was solemnly given the name "Phil of Panxutoni - Clairvoyant of the Seeers, Sage of the Sages, Soothsayer of the Soothsayers, and Outstanding Weather Seer." And Phil’s birthplace, Panxutoni itself was called the “World Weather Capital”. The first prediction came true - there was no shadow, it was early spring!

But in general, the statistics, alas, do not confirm Phil's predictions. According to records that have been going on for more than 100 years, the groundhog’s prediction came true only in 39% of cases.

After the famous film Groundhog Day was released in 1993, starring Bill Murray and Andy McDowell, Pancutoni’s popularity skyrocketed. For example, in 1997, 35 thousand people came to see Phil - 5 times more than the population of all cities in the district.