Today is Groundhog Day and like every February 2nd Phil expresses his opinion on what kind of winter awaits us. The rodent in question lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and every year announces when Spring will arrive.
According to the legend that Americans are very fond of, if the marmot comes out of his den and doesn’t see his shadow because the sky is cloudy and therefore doesn’t get scared, early spring is upon us. Phil today was evidently more peaceful than the sky above Pennsylvania, because the verdict was clear: it will soon be Spring in the USA.
Naturally, there is no pretense of scientificity, on the contrary, the marmot’s prediction last year turned out to be wrong, as it had been in six of the previous ten years, according to analyzes by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US federal agency that deals with of meteorology. But this doesn’t matter to anyone, Phil is an institution, a tradition that has lasted for over 100 years and which has made the tiny town of Punxsutawney (less than 6 thousand inhabitants) famous. On the other hand, we willingly believe it, just as we take it for granted that Phil has been living since 1886, while the average lifespan of a marmot is 6-7 years. But anyway, traditions are never discussed.
In reality it is a tradition imported to the USA by the Germanic peoples, but in northern Europe it was linked to other animals, badgers or bears. In Pennsylvania they opted for the carpenter mammal, which is easier to adopt and maintain.