Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter in Groundhog Day celebration
Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog named for the western Pennsylvania town where he lives in a tree stump, predicted six more weeks of winter on Thursday, during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.
People gathered at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Phil’s “inner circle” summoned the rotund rodent from his stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow. The inner circle said he did.
According to folklore, if Punxsutawney Phil – an honorary title, bestowed on successive groundhogs – sees his shadow on 2 February there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring will come early.
The “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries responsible for planning the annual event, as well as feeding and caring for Phil.
The annual event in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles north-east of Pittsburgh, originated in a German legend. The gathering annually attracts thousands.
This year, Phil’s prediction came as a mess of ice, sleet and snow lingered across much of the southern US.
According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers say.
The 2021 and 2022 forecasts also called for six more weeks of winter.
While Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous groundhog seer, in large part thanks to Groundhog Day, a beloved 1993 comedy movie starring Bill Murray, he is not the only one.
In New York City, Staten Island Chuck made his prediction for an early spring during an event at the Staten Island Zoo.
Staten Island Chuck is also an honorary name, passed down through generation upon generation of groundhogs.
Memorably, in 2014 the then mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, dropped the groundhog during the ceremony.
The groundhog died a week later. Amid increasingly picaresque political scandal, it was revealed that the deceased rodent was not in fact that year’s Staten Island Chuck, but a female stand-in named Charlotte.
A zoo spokesman, Brian Morris, explained that “whichever groundhog is the least grouchy that day” was usually used for the ceremony.