Andrew Mager

In traditional weather lore, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is bright and clear, it will be frightened and run back into its hole, and the winter will continue for six more weeks.

Long before Punxsutawney Phil ever popped up to see his shadow, people believed that animals had special powers. About 15 centuries ago, the Romans celebrated Hedgehog Day on this exact same day.

The only difference is that the hedgehog would have to wake up a few hours before the sun came up because the Romans wanted to see if “Sonic” could see his shadow under a clear moonlight. I can just picture these Italians staring at a spiky little creature, waiting for him somehow signal that he saw his shadow. First of all, how do you know if an animal saw his shadow… he can’t tell you.

A lot of people don’t know that Groundhog Day is smack dab in the middle of the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. Did you know there are other famous groundhogs too?

It’s 10:20 a.m. and the sun is finally poking it’s head out of the clouds. Maybe this cold spell will diminish. According to Al Gore though, winter gets shorter every year. Oh well, people will still enjoy Groundhog Day no matter how silly. We love our traditions and superstitions here.