do other countries have a groundhog day? do you all gather on February second and watch with bated breathe as a groundhog emerges from its hole? do you forecast the next six weeks of weather based on if the groundhog is frightened by its own shadow and returns to the hole?
is this some kind of thing American tumblr made up to prank us??
groundhog day is real the entire country watches a groundhog predict the weather
But not just any groundhog – no, that would be too easy.
We have specific groundhogs that are responsible for weather prediction in particular regions.
We give them names like Phil and Jimmy, and make their caretakers wear formal dress, like servants to royalty.
When two nearby towns have groundhogs, it becomes a point of civic pride to argue about whose groundhog is more accurate. People have come to blows to defend their groundhog’s honour.
And of course, since groundhogs don’t live very long, they need to be replaced frequently. Sometimes people will claim that the new groundhog isn’t a legitimate successor to the old groundhog, and set up their own pretender to the throne. There have been legitimate groundhog succession crises.
Groundhog Day is serious business.
There’s a bit of this craziness in Canada too, but AFAIK we only have one oracular groundhog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiarton_Willie
Mooncustafer 