Groundhog Day quote
Will he or won’t he? That’s the focus of GROUNDHOG DAY on FEBRUARY 2. Each year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, thousands of people flock to see whether a sleepy groundhog named Phil catches sight of his shadow. If so, the age-old belief is that six more weeks of winter will follow. If that does occur, our fuzzy prognosticator retreats into his den and goes back to sleep. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he stays outside to play and that signals that spring is just around the corner.
Candlemas
The tradition of predicting the length of the remaining winter is intertwined with the Christian holiday, Candlemas. On Candlemas, the clergy blessed candles symbolizing the light of the world to give to the members of their congregation. A folk song about the weather on Candlemas Day shares that if it “be fair and bright” that Winter “will have another fight,” but if “Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,” winter “won’t come again.” When this weather prediction tradition reached Germany, somehow a hedgehog became involved in the practice. When the Germans emigrated to the United States and settled in the hills of Pennsylvania, there were no hedgehogs to be found, so a groundhog became the weather predictor.
Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only fuzzy forecaster, but he is the country’s most well-known groundhog and his popularity only grew following the 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. Here in Georgia, we have General Beauregard Lee who is now located at Dauset Trails Nature Center in Jackson. If you’d like to visit him, see dausettrails.com. This year, Phil’s prognostication from Gobbler’s Knob will be going strictly virtual and you can see it online at groundhog.org. You might also want to pre-game for the big day by popping some popcorn and watching Groundhog Day again...and again.
Umbrella
On FEBRUARY 10 we celebrate a versatile and useful invention on NATIONAL UMBRELLA DAY. Invented in their most basic design to create shade from the sun’s rays more than 4,000 years ago, umbrellas are used as protection from the elements, whimsical decoration, and fashion accessories. Evidence of umbrellas has been found in ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Chinese art and artifacts. Credit goes to the Chinese for being the first to incorporate protection from the rain by layering their paper parasols with wax and lacquer so it would withstand the elements. Beyond simply providing a shield from the rain and shade from the bright rays of the sun, umbrellas capture our imagination as can be seen in our art. Mary Poppins just wouldn’t be the same without her umbrella. And Gene Kelly’s iconic dance scene in Singing in the Rain would be lacking a partner. Observe the holiday by watching the YouTube clip of Tom Holland’s entire dance performance to Rihanna’s “Umbrella” on Lip Synch Battle (It starts at 1:15 of the clip). You’re welcome.
Weather
While we rest our hopes for the early arrival of spring on the antics of a groundhog, when it comes to daily forecasts and hurricane tracking, we turn to meteorologists. NATIONAL WEATHERPERSON’S DAY on FEBRUARY 5 honors individuals in the fields of meteorology, weather forecasting, and broadcast meteorology. It also recognizes volunteer storm spotters and others working in the weather field. The annual holiday commemorates the birthday of scientist and surgeon Dr. John Jeffries in 1744. Jeffries kept weather records from 1774 to 1816 and was considered one of America’s first weather observers. He also pioneered ballooning in the U.S., making his first balloon observation in 1784.
The people recognized on this day are particularly important to us here in the hurricane vulnerable coastal region. The information they provide during extreme weather situations is an invaluable resource for us as we make decisions about what actions to take to keep our families, homes, businesses, and community safe. Drop the local weather team members an email to let them know you appreciate their diligence. Watch your favorite weatherman, Phil Connors, in Groundhog Day. Hmmmm. Does this seem familiar?
