Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Last updated on: February 2, 2012 at 9:28 am by Joanne Brokaw

Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter 2012-02-02T09:28:41-05:00 Joanne Brokaw

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The official proclamation: six more weeks of winter! (Click the image to go to the official Groundhog Day website.)

It happened today at 7:20 AM on Gobbler’s Knob, PA. Punxatawney Phil, the prognosticating groundhog, crawled from his burrow and made his annual prediction and the verdict is: six more weeks of winter.

Where I live, in Western NY, we haven’t even had six weeks of winter yet. So I hope that we’re not going to get it all packed into the next month and a half!

Punxsutawney Phil

This was Phil’s 126th prediction – well, Phil or one of his family members. Although the folks in Punxsutawney insist there has only been one Phil.

The roots of Groundhog Day stem from Candlemas. From the German prediction “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May…” to an old Scotch couplet, If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, There’ll be twa (two) winters in the year”, people have been looking to shadows on this day to predict the weather*.*

Punxsutawney, PA held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s, and made the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob on February 2, 1887. The tradition has been going on ever since.

According to the Groundhog Day website, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip, who, pior to being called Phil, was called Br’er Groundhog. No word on whether King Phillip was able to predict the weather, too.

Despite Phil’s bummer prediction, the folks in Punxsutawney aren’t letting that stop them from celebrating. They have a full schedule of music, crafts, and parties all day. Which just proves that the weather doesn’t matter when you’re having fun!

Previous Post

February 1, 2012

Large "wholesale" dog breeding facility (puppy mill) approved for Gorham, NY

Next Post

February 3, 2012 Friday food for thought quote: our varying attitudes towards animals, from James Serpell

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Animal behavior Animal health Animal history Animal rescue Animal research Animals and entertainment Animals and fashion Animals and food Animals and military Animals and science Animals and the law Animals in the news Be Nice Project Bears Bees Bible verses Birds Books cats Celebrities Christianity Circus Critters Dogs Elephants Farm animals Featured Shelter Pet Guest blogger Holidays Humor Interviews Movies Music National News Nature Ocean mammals Paganism Politics Quotes Reader photos Recalls Reviews Science Space Supernatural Technology Television Uncategorized Uncategorized video Wildlife Zoo

Select a Month November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 November 2015 May 2015 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "do not worry about tomorrow" teach?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ignore everything Worry all the time Only seek money Trust God for the future