La Memoria - 22 "Groundhog Day"

the legend just so unique, so I think Groundhog day should be the next issue 

Thousands of years ago when animalism and nature worship were prevalent, people in the area of Europe now known as Germany believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops. By the time the first German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania they probably understood that this was not true but the tradition continued. Unfortunately there were not many badgers in Pennsylvania so the groundhog substituted the badger. 

Tradition has it that if the groundhog will sees its shadow on February 2 it will be frightened by it and will return to its burrow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not see its shadow, then spring is on the way. Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the United States in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. It is said that Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) was named after King Phillip. He was called Br'er Groundhog prior to being known as Phil. Canada also celebrates Groundhog Day. 

 The groundhog, also known as the woodchuck or marmot, is believed to make weather predictions relating to winter and spring according to superstition. Movies, advertisements, cartoons and other media have portrayed the legendary role of the groundhog in popular culture. The term “Groundhog Day” is a phrase that is sometimes used to express if the same events or actions occur repetitively for a period of time. 

>>Groundhog Day dirayakan setiap tanggal 2 Februari, Berabad silam, orang percaya bahwa jika hari ini berawan dan groundhog muncul, maka musim semi akan datang lebih awal dan jika hari ini cerah, groundhog akan meundur kembali ke liangnya karena diduga ia melihat bayangannya sendiri dan memilih mundur, jika ini terjadi maka musim dingin akan berlanjut hingga sekitar enam minggu lagi. Tradisi mengamati perilaku groundhog ini masih bertahan hingga kini.

Source : http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/groundhog-day

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Oct' 10th 2014

L.N