On Tuesday, 02/02/2021, it will be in the USA serious about weather forecasting: all eyes are on the town of Punxsutawney in the US state Pennsylvania where the world famous marmot day is celebrated again.
Marmot Day on 02/02/2021: Weather forecast from Marmot Phil
The center of the celebrations for Groundhog Day, as marmot day is called in English, is the woodchuck Phil. On February 2nd, the groundhog is traditionally lured out of its cozy burrow for the first time after its hibernation and harnessed as a weather prophet.
Marmot Day 2021: Marmot Phil predicts the weather for the coming weeks
At least since the hit movie “Groundhog Day” with Hollywood star Bill Murray, Groundhog Day has also been known in our latitudes. The principle is simple: as part of a happy folk festival with tens of thousands of visitors, the marmot is lured out of its winter dwelling with the aim of getting the weather forecast for the coming weeks. Because according to tradition, that remains Winter for a further six weeks, when the marmot sees its shadow – if the sun shines on marmot day on February 2nd and the rodent casts a shadow on its first steps after hibernation, the end of winter is not yet in sight.
Punxsutawney Phil predicts the weather on marmot day 2021 – THAT is the forecast
Meteorologists and those who want to be, will also be looking forward to Pennsylvania in February 2021 to see the animal weather oracle Phil in action. The marmot’s winter forecast for 2021 has long been of interest not only in the USA, but in the whole world.
Groundhog Day 2021: These are the famous weather oracles next to Punxsutawney Phil
In addition to Punxsutawney Phil, as the weather oracle from Pennsylvania is also called, numerous other places in the USA and Canada their own marmots at their Groundhog Day celebrations. In Alberta, Canada, for example, a woodchuck named Balzac Billy is allowed to do that Weather Forecasts in early February, in Wisconsin Jimmy the Groundhog is responsible for the weather forecast in Sun Prairie, while in Nova Scotia, Canada, a woodchuck named Shubenacadie Sam is used as a weather oracle.
How will be the weather? Everything about the meaning and history of Marmot Day
However, the marmot day is not an invention of the last few years: Traditionally, the Christian Candlemas is celebrated on February 2nd, and many farmers’ rules at the beginning of February refer to how long winter will prevail. Many farmers’ rules do not refer to marmots, but to other animals that also hibernate and venture out of their burrows in early February, for example badgers or bears. The quintessence of these proverbs is also: If the sun shines at the beginning of February, winter will remain for at least a month.
According to tradition, marmot day originated in the first half of the 19th century. Groundhog Day was first celebrated in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, which made the city famous. It is already documented for the year 1886 that the inhabitants questioned a marmot as a weather oracle on February 2nd.
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loc / grm / news.de / dpa
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