Groundhog Day

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[[File:Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, 2013-2.jpg|thumb|right|Phil.]]{{folklore}}
'''Groundhog Day''' is a popular, albeit unofficial, holiday in [[North America]]. The holiday originated in North America with [[German]] immigrants (the "Pennsylvania Dutch"), and it is has European roots. It revolves around the [[superstition]] that a large rodent of the family ''Sciuridae'' is capable of predicting the weather.

==The ritual==
The basic idea is that on February 2, people gather around to watch a groundhog with a stupid, alliterative name ("Punxsutawney Phil" in [[Pennsylvania]]) come out of its hole. According to legend, if the groundhog doesn't see its shadow (if it's cloudy, or the groundhog is nearsighted), an early spring will come. If it's a sunny day or the lights from the TV cameras are too bright, it sees its shadow, retreats into its home and six more weeks of winter will follow. Some people believe that this is actually an accurate form of weather forecasting. Research in 2012 found that the groundhog was only correct in 4 out of 13 years examined.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/feb/02/groundhog-day-2012-groundhogs-weather Groundhog day 2012: how well can groundhogs predict the weather?], The Guardian, Feb 2, 2012.</ref> Another detailed study in Canada concluded that groundhog driven predictions were only right 37 percent of the time.<ref>[http://archive.is/rS6AQ If groundhog sees shadow, why MORE winter?] Archived from the original at The Straight Dope, 1 April 1994.</ref>

It apparently derives from older, European superstition, that a clear day on {{wpl|Candlemas}} (February 2) means a long winter is in store. Reputedly, Germans used a badger or even a bear in areas where groundhogs were not known. As well as being Candlemas (which commemorates the presentation of [[Jesus]] at the temple, when the priest held him up and predicted 6 more weeks of winter), the date is also linked with the ancient pagan festival of {{wpl|Imbolc||,}} traditionally February 1.<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HdOiH9bApzEC&lpg=PA98&ots=Jjv2LObfMk&dq=german%20badger%20weather%20prediction&pg=PA98#v=onepage&q=german%20badger%20weather%20prediction&f=false Signs, Cures, & Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore], Gerald Milnes, p. 98.</ref> German weather lore has it that "Wenn sich der Dachs zu Lichtmeß sonnt, so gehet er wieder auf vier Wochen in sein Loch." ("If the badger is in the sun at Candlemas, he will have to go back into his hole for another four weeks.")<ref>{{wpa|Weather lore}}</ref>

The "six more weeks of winter" legend is particularly good for identifying people who are bad at math and/or dates.  Exactly six weeks ([[Fun:42|42]] days) after February 2 is March 16 (March 15 in leap years)...only a few days before the vernal equinox (i.e., the end of winter).

Of course, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, this is all completely meaningless.

==Inevitable consequences==
In February 2015, a groundhog in [[Wisconsin]] decided it was fed up with the attention and bit a local dignitary attempting to solicit weather information.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/31107942 Town's mayor gets groundhog bite], BBC Newsround, 3 February 2015.</ref>

==The film==
''{{wpl|Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day}}'' is also a 1993 [[fantasy]]-comedy film starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a conceited [[Pittsburgh]] weatherman who is forced to relive the same day over and over, specifically, Groundhog Day. Assured of himself that there are no consequences for his actions, Phil uses this [[miracle]] to indulge in hedonism and seduce women until his failures to seduce his producer cause him to sink into depression, exhaust every way to kill himself, and finally reevaluate his life and priorities, ultimately becoming a better version of himself, although it's a bit of a downer that he ended up with Andie MacDowell instead of Marita Geraghty. The term "Groundhog Day" has since been used to describe the effect of reliving the same moment repeatedly which is often used in [[science fiction]] as a plot device. It is a rather good film, and well worth watching.

Although no explanation is given for the time loop, ''Groundhog Day'' is widely considered by [[religious studies|religious scholars]] to be a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] film due to its themes mirroring Buddhist concepts like ''samsara'', the idea that one must [[reincarnation|reincarnate]] until they achieve [[enlightenment]]. The film's writer, Danny Rubin, is a [[Zen]] Buddhist, which was likely a partial inspiration for said loop.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/health/groundhog-day-movie-wisdom-project/index.html ‘Groundhog Day’ movie: The Buddhist lifehacker film], David G. Allan, ''[[CNN]]'' 2 February 2023</ref>

A darker version of this plot, with a few major differences, was first written in 1905 (published in 1915) as ''{{wpl|Strange Life of Ivan Osokin}}'' by P. D. Ouspensky. In this book, a man who repeatedly relives his life is, unlike the Bill Murray character, unable to make significant changes.

==References==
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[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Holidays]]

Categories: Culture, Films, Holidays