The Groundhog Day has become so popular that it is celebrated throughout North America. On this day, a lot of tourists come to Panksatoni from other countries. For the first time, Groundhog Day was decided to celebrate in 1886 the inhabitants of the small town of Panksatoni in the US state of Pennsylvania, during which they wake up the groundhog who slept through the winter and make it guess the weather.
Over time, this comic day turned into a real show, headed by the governor.
Groundhog Day – refers to this kind of holidays, about the history of the origin of which, not only do not remember, and even do not know the general majority of people celebrating it. After all, now there are so many various holidays in the world, the true cause of which hardly anyone can remember, and often they don’t know or don’t remember what it means, and interpret it in completely different ways.
Here and in the United States of America and in Canada there is also such an unusual holiday celebrated on February 2 and this holiday – Groundhog Day.
And the essence of this day is quite simple and lies in the fact that on this day you need to observe waking up for the woodchuck who are hibernating.
By the way he will behave, you can find out how early spring will come this year. If the day is overcast and the marmot quietly crawls out their mink, then winter is coming to an end, spring will come soon and you can already get ready for spring work. If the day is sunny and the woodchuck, seeing his shadow, hides again in the hole, it means that the winter will still last at least six weeks, that is, one and a half months.
Where does this belief come from? The story is silent. According to one version they say that it came from Indians who lived for centuries in these parts, on the other, that this custom was brought by Germans who immigrated to America. The tradition to predict the weather forecast according to the behavior of animals has existed for a long time. Even in ancient Rome, the forecast of the onset of spring was determined by the behavior of the hedgehog, who was awakened from hibernation. The inhabitants of Europe adopted this sign and probably. after moving to the American continent, they revived her there, he, since hedgehogs were not there, were transferred to the role of hedgehogs to the marmots living there. But be that as it may, this custom exists to this day, though in a slightly modified form.
Over the years, this holiday has become a real show, the main character of which is the woodchuck.
The inhabitants of the small provincial town of Panksatoni in the state of Pennsylvania have succeeded in organizing the groundhog day. The editor of the local newspaper in 1886 organized the Groundhog Club, and thanks to his connections, many newspapers in the neighboring states trumpeted about this. Entrepreneurial Americans organized the Groundhog Day as an entire ritual, which is now held every year. Almost all 10 thousand people of Panksatoni headed by the mayor participate in this show. Moreover, thanks to the wide coverage of this event in the media, on this day many lovers began to gather here from other cities, states, and in recent years tourists from other countries.
Holiday “Groundhog Day” or as in the United States and Canada is called “Groundhog Day” as follows. In the morning, early on the hill brings people down. Here come the members of the Groundhog Club in tuxedos and top hats. For the convenience of interviewing a marmot named Phil, he built a personal apartment in the form of a stump.
The club chairman pulls a half-awake groundhog from his apartment and, leaning toward him, “listens” to his predictions. What the groundhog whispers in secret to the chairman in his ear and how he translates the “prediction” from the language of the marmots to English is of course not known, but, dictated by the chairman, the secretary records the entire forecast on paper and then announces it to the whole people.
For the greater importance of the event, the woodchuck is shown on display by all the people, so that no one would doubt that he is in good health and mind.
Sometimes the “weather forecast” of the woodchuck is commented on for the press and is broadcast through loudspeakers so that everyone present can hear.
After the official part of the holiday, people are having fun. During this day, all the drinking establishments and restaurants of Panksatoni receive almost monthly revenues. And if you take into account the fact that up to 50 thousand tourists come here, you can imagine how much profit the smart citizens receive from this.
Thanks to the Groundhog Day, the provincial Panksatoni became known to all of America. But this invented holiday would have remained in America if, in 1993, film director Harold Ramis had not shot the comedy “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray and Andy MacDowell in the lead roles. The film was a resounding success, and what happened on February 2 at the Turkey Hill in Panksutoni was recognized all over the world.
