2-01-2022 7:25pm

Groundhog Day

Christine Larkin Editor

Wednesday, February 2, is Groundhog Day. That seemed to come fast, though you wouldn’t know it by this past weekend’s snowstorm. The warmer temperatures this week will begin to melt the snow, and the rain that is expected will help wash it away. But, will the groundhog see its shadow in the cloudy weather? How many more weeks of winter are left? We know that the Spring Equinox is on March 20th, so the groundhog can’t fool Mother Nature, can it? It’s a fun tradition, nonetheless.

Groundhog Day is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2nd
each year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, Spring will arrive early. While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, there's no consistent correlation between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.

Groundhog Day is a long-standing tradition that marks time, it's whimsical, and it keeps us hopeful for what's to come. Hope springs eternal, as they say. Whether or not the groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, sees its shadow this Wednesday, we know one thing is for certain; Spring is the next season. I'm seeing flowers instead of snow.

Peace and Love,

Skylark

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