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3 Strange ‘Facts’ About Groundhog Day
THE EVEN STRANGER LORE
Behind the Already Strange Groundhog Day
You don’t have to think too hard about Groundhog Day to really grasp how bizarre of a holiday it really is. Every year, thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch a medium-size rodent purportedly predict how much longer winter will last, and millions more probably watch from their homes all over the country. However, would you believe the lore surrounding Groundhog Day is actually a lot stranger than the festivities would initially let on? Below are some actual “facts” about the holiday that have endured through the decades. Punxsutawney Phil is canonically over 130 years old. The first Groundhog Day celebration took place in Punxsutawney in 1886. According to Punxsutawney Phil’s inner circle (we’ll get to them later), Phil is the only groundhog who has been using his shadow to predict the weather since the beginning. There has not been a series of groundhogs — there has only been Phil. He has supposedly lived for so long by ingesting “Groundhog Punch,” or the “elixir of life,” every year, making him effectively immortal. Punxsutawney Phil has an inner circle of followers. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day” or tuned in to watch the festival live, you might have noticed that Phil was surrounded by a group of men in old-fashioned suits and top hats. These men
are not random actors; they are Phil’s inner circle, and they are responsible for caring for Phil and arranging the festivities for Groundhog Day every year. Who would have thought that a groundhog would have an entourage? Punxsutawney Phil and his inner circle have a secret language. When Phil predicts whether there will be six more weeks of winter, he does so from inside a box, out of view of anyone — including his inner circle — who can verify what
Phil sees. So, how does his inner circle know what to announce? With a secret language, of course! The president of the inner circle talks to Phil in “Groundhogese” and then communicates Phil’s decision to the public. While these “facts” are highly suspect, the existence of lore behind this strange minor holiday definitely lends itself to making Groundhog Day an enduring, novel piece of American history.
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