Groundhog's Day
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Every February 2, crowds gather at Gobbler's Knob, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Burrowed inside his heated simulated tree trunk, a groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, is about to step into the limelight at about 7:25 a.m. once again. The gates open at 3:00 a.m., followed by live entertainment, music, and a pre-dawn fireworks display that helps to ignite (hopefully not literally!) the crowd gathered in anticipation of Phil's forecast. The awe-inspiring fireworks are set to lively music, which is just what the crowd generally needs on a cold rural Pennsylvania morning. Phil makes the most celebrated weather forecast of the year, usually around the crack of dawn. Has spring sprung when Phil emerges from his burrow and doesn't see his shadow? Or, should he scurry back into his burrow for six more weeks of winter weather if skies are clear and fair?
History of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day has its origins in an ancient celebration of a point midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Superstition has it that fair weather was a forbearance of a stormy and cold second half to winter. The early Christians in Europe established the custom of Candlemas Day, when the clergy would bless candles and people would light them in each window of their homes to ward off the darkness of mid-winter.
But the legend of the February 2 forecast also persisted, as captured in this old English saying:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The trail of groundhog history actually leads back to Clymer H. Freas, city editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper. In 1887, he was inspired by a group of local hunters and gourmets who held a groundhog hunt followed by a picnic barbecue of, well, you know. Anyway, Freas thought it so much fun that he wrote up the group as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and went on to promote the Punxsutawney Groundhog as the official weather forecaster. As he embellished the story year after year, other newspapers picked it up and soon everyone looked to Punxsutawney Phil for the critical prediction of when spring would return to the nation.
History of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day has its origins in an ancient celebration of a point midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Superstition has it that fair weather was a forbearance of a stormy and cold second half to winter. The early Christians in Europe established the custom of Candlemas Day, when the clergy would bless candles and people would light them in each window of their homes to ward off the darkness of mid-winter.
But the legend of the February 2 forecast also persisted, as captured in this old English saying:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The trail of groundhog history actually leads back to Clymer H. Freas, city editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper. In 1887, he was inspired by a group of local hunters and gourmets who held a groundhog hunt followed by a picnic barbecue of, well, you know. Anyway, Freas thought it so much fun that he wrote up the group as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and went on to promote the Punxsutawney Groundhog as the official weather forecaster. As he embellished the story year after year, other newspapers picked it up and soon everyone looked to Punxsutawney Phil for the critical prediction of when spring would return to the nation.

A.
Before Groundhog Day, people celebrated which holiday?
- Spring Day
- Candlemas Day
- Shadow Day
- Punxsutawney Phil Day
B.
Which word best describes how Groundhog Day became a tradition?
- legend
- hoax
- anticipation
- forecast
D.
When does the groundhog usually emerge?
- Around noon
- Around 9 a.m.
- Around dawn
- Around dusk
E.
Based on the passage, you can infer that when skies are clear and fair, the groundhog
- sees its shadow.
- does not see its shadow.
F.
Look at the following chart:
On February 2, in Pennsylvania, the skies are usually...
Did the Groundhog See its Shadow? | ||
---|---|---|
Saw Shadow | No Shadow | No Record |
100 | 17 | 9 |
More Winter | End of Winter | No One Knows |
On February 2, in Pennsylvania, the skies are usually...
- Gray and cloudy
- Clear and sunny