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Happy Groundhog Day!

POSTED 02/02/2006 UNDER Gawking

This is one of my favorite holidays, because:

  • It's steeped in tradition and ceremony!
  • It involves large hibernating rodents!
  • It's one of those days of the year where you're allowed to believe in the prognosticative powers of animals, and no one will think you're (too) insane.

There's a little more history behind this holiday than I thought; though Groundhog Day in the US is only about a hundred years old, it is derived from Hedgehog Day from Roman times. We just don't have any hedgehogs here in North America, so we substituted the most convenient rodent. Additionally, the day itself is related to the Spring Equinox that occurs 6 weeks later; the wikipedia article suggests that the "six more weeks of winter" prediction is a bit of folksy humor, since Spring officially starts in 6 weeks anyway.

I haven't really come up with a good way to personally celebrate Groundhog Day. Anyone have any ideas?

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