Groundhog Day cancelled!

[macwilkin]

please explain all this groundhog, woodchuck, shadow, winter spring thing?

It's origins are in Scotland and the Pennsylvania Germans, who introduced the custom of a badger or groundhog being the prognosticator of weather:

If Candlemass day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter's to come and mair;
If Candlemass day be wet and foul,
The half o' winter's gave at Yule.'


-- http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/feb/2.htm

T.

[Jimmy]

The groundhogs should come over to Scotland. Its unseasonally mild here for February, 46f (+8c).

but we are getting snow tomorrow, hope it does not last

[Lallans]

please explain all this groundhog, woodchuck, shadow, winter spring thing?

CajunScot gave the background, here is the foreground:

On February 2, the groundhog, a North American marmot more properly named the woodchuck, emerges from underground hibernation and appears at the entrance of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he ducks back inside and there will be another six weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, he ducks back inside and winter will be over "soon", within six weeks or so. It's true!

A village in Pennsylvania which I will not even attempt to spell actually started a festival around the tradition, where strange men in top hats rip a poor animal out of his cage and pass him around like a baby, a dangerously well-toothed baby. Also true! This bizarre practice was the basis of the unexpectedly good Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day.

Wiarton, a town in Ontario, as well as several other towns around the continent, have started up with rival captive woodchucks and have their own festivals. The Wiarton animal is traditionally an albino, which I actually prefer due to the fact that they have even poorer eyesight than a fully melinated 'chuck and are therefore less likely to see anything, never mind their shadow.

Now you have to explain Alexi Sayle!

[Jimmy]

It's origins are in Scotland and the Pennsylvania Germans, who introduced the custom of a badger or groundhog being the prognosticator of weather:

If Candlemass day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter's to come and mair;
If Candlemass day be wet and foul,
The half o' winter's gave at Yule.'


-- http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/feb/2.htm

T.

thanks for your info here

[ohiopiper]

I watched the first couple minutes of The Daily Show last night. They showed a photoshopped picture of the officiator in Punxatawney (Pennsylvania town that started "groundhog day") holding up Phil (the groundhog in question), but frozen in a block of ice.

[Jimmy]

CajunScot gave the background, here is the foreground:

On February 2, the groundhog, a North American marmot more properly named the woodchuck, emerges from underground hibernation and appears at the entrance of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he ducks back inside and there will be another six weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, he ducks back inside and winter will be over "soon", within six weeks or so. It's true!

A village in Pennsylvania which I will not even attempt to spell actually started a festival around the tradition, where strange men in top hats rip a poor animal out of his cage and pass him around like a baby, a dangerously well-toothed baby. Also true! This bizarre practice was the basis of the unexpectedly good Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day.

Wiarton, a town in Ontario, as well as several other towns around the continent, have started up with rival captive woodchucks and have their own festivals. The Wiarton animal is traditionally an albino, which I actually prefer due to the fact that they have even poorer eyesight than a fully melinated 'chuck and are therefore less likely to see anything, never mind their shadow.

Now you have to explain Alexi Sayle!

Fascinating stuff, thanks for telling me, even more fanciable than our own wee haggis

[Jack Daw]

The groundhogs should come over to Scotland. Its unseasonally mild here for February, 46f (+8c).

No way! You'll just shoot it like the red squirrel.

[Jack Daw]

CajunScot gave the background, here is the foreground:

On February 2, the groundhog, a North American marmot more properly named the woodchuck, emerges from underground hibernation and appears at the entrance of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he ducks back inside and there will be another six weeks of winter. If there is no shadow, he ducks back inside and winter will be over "soon", within six weeks or so. It's true!

A village in Pennsylvania which I will not even attempt to spell actually started a festival around the tradition, where strange men in top hats rip a poor animal out of his cage and pass him around like a baby, a dangerously well-toothed baby. Also true! This bizarre practice was the basis of the unexpectedly good Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day.

Wiarton, a town in Ontario, as well as several other towns around the continent, have started up with rival captive woodchucks and have their own festivals. The Wiarton animal is traditionally an albino, which I actually prefer due to the fact that they have even poorer eyesight than a fully melinated 'chuck and are therefore less likely to see anything, never mind their shadow.

Now you have to explain Alexi Sayle!

Hmmm....the woodchuck/ground hog/whistle pig is not a protected species in the U.S., which begs the question: Has anyone made a sporran out of one?

[Tony]

Hmmm....the woodchuck/ground hog/whistle pig is not a protected species in the U.S., which begs the question: Has anyone made a sporran out of one?

there was a thread here...
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...enchuck-32984/
but the pics are gone.


Still available to be seen on Thorfinn's site
http://www.thorfinnsporrans.com/9.html

[Jack Daw]

Ah, thanks Tony!