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How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate it 137 years later
On Thursday morning, thousands of early risers either tuned2 in or bundled up to watch Punxsutawney Phil emerge from a tree stump3 and predict the weather.
The groundhog — arguably the most famous member of his species and the most recognizable of all the country's animal prognosticators — did what he has done for the last 137 years: search for a sign of spring in front of a group of top hat-wearing handlers and adoring fans at Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, on this blustery winter morning, he didn't find it.
"I see a shadow on my stage, and so no matter how you measure, it's six more weeks of winter weather," a handler read off the scroll4 he said Phil had chosen.
Tradition says that North America will get six more weeks of winter if Phil sees his shadow and an early spring if he does not. Statistics say not so much: Phil's accuracy rate is about 40% over the last decade.
Plus, human meteorologists have far more advanced methods for predicting the weather now than they did when Phil first got the gig in 1887.
Why, then, do we continue looking to creatures for answers on Feb. 2, year after year after year? (One could say it's almost like the 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day" ... or even exactly like that.)
There's still a lot we can learn from Groundhog Day, both about our climate and our culture, several experts told NPR.
Daniel Blumstein is a professor of ecology and evolutionary5 biology at UCLA who studies marmots, the group of 15 species of large ground squirrels that includes groundhogs. His department always has a Groundhog Day party, even in perennially-sunny Los Angeles — but he says you don't have to be a "marmot enthusiast6" (as he describes himself) to get something out of the day.
"I hope that people have some greater appreciation7 of marmots and nature, and I hope that people have a chuckle8 over the idea that it's the middle of the winter and we're hoping that a rodent9 will tell us what the future is," says Blumstein.
Groundhog Day has its roots in ancient midwinter ceremonies
How did the U.S. end up celebrating Groundhog Day in the first place?
It dates back to ancient traditions — first pagan, then Christian10 — marking the halfway11 point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, says Troy Harman, a history professor at Penn State University who also works as a ranger12 at Gettysburg National Military Park.
The Celtic tradition of Imbolc, which involves lighting13 candles at the start of February, goes as far back as the 10th century A.D.
The Christian church later expanded this idea into the festival of Candlemas, which commemorates14 the moment when the Virgin15 Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after Jesus' birth to be purified and present him to God as her firstborn.
On that feast day, clergy16 would bless and distribute all the candles needed for winter — and over time the focus of the day became increasingly about predicting how long winter would last. As one English folk song put it: "If Candlemas be fair and bright / Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain / Go Winter, and come not again."
1 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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2 tuned | |
adj.调谐的,已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调 | |
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3 stump | |
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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4 scroll | |
n.卷轴,纸卷;(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
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5 evolutionary | |
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的 | |
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6 enthusiast | |
n.热心人,热衷者 | |
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7 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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8 chuckle | |
vi./n.轻声笑,咯咯笑 | |
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9 rodent | |
n.啮齿动物;adj.啮齿目的 | |
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10 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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11 halfway | |
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途 | |
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12 ranger | |
n.国家公园管理员,护林员;骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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13 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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14 commemorates | |
n.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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15 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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16 clergy | |
n.[总称]牧师,神职人员 | |
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