 On February 2nd of each year, we celebrate a rural American tradition called GroundHog Day. The ground hog leaves the burrow where it is hibernating to discover whether cold winter weather will continue. If it doesn't see it's shadow it stays above ground, ending it's hibernation, meaning an early Spring. But if it sees it's shadow-(the sun is shining), there will be 6 more weeks of cold weather and he returns to his burrow. GroundHog day follows Candlemas, an old church tradition that a pleasant Candlemas means a cold spring probably inspired the legend.
 CANDLEMAS: Christian festival observed on Feb.2 in honor of the presentation of the infant Christ in the Temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary. The festival was probably meant ot replace the great feast of expiation and purification that was held in ancient Rome in mid February. the date of the pagan feast was then transferred to Feb. 2, the fortieth day after Christmas; the forty-day period was in accordance with the Jewish law that required the ritual purification at the Temple of every mother of a male child forty days after its birth. The Candlemas festival is believed to have been instituted in 541 or 542 by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.
The common marmot of E. North America is the woodchuck or ground hog, M. monax. This animal is gray, streaked with black or brown above and paler below. It attains a lenth of 2 feet of which 1/2 foot is tail. The annual GroundHog event is held on a hilltop called Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The groundhog that is used is called Punxsutawney Phil. People come from miles away to see this annual event.
 I would like you to meet Willy. He's the baby groundhog that I adopted from Jeanne and Grandma George. I hope one day he will grow up and maybe when he is old enough to be called Will instead of Willy, that if Punxsutawney Phil ever has to retire that the people of Punsxutawney might consider Will as Phil's replacement. If you would like to adopt a groundhog for yourself just click on Jeanne and Grandma George names and it will take you to their page of adoptions.
© pegfitz 
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