Six More Weeks of Winter! And a Win for the Falcons!
Posted by Blog Admin on Thursday, February 2nd, 2017 at 9:41am.
Good old Punxatawney Phil - the famous ground hog who predicts the end of winter each year - clearly saw his shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter. But Phil isn't the only prognosticating critter on February 2nd each year. Dunkirk Dave of Dunkirk, NY, and General Beauregard Lee of our very own Gwinnett County, GA had their own predictions.
From weather.com: "Dunkirk Dave also predicted six more weeks of winter after emerging in Dunkirk, New York. Dave, actually a female groundhog whose non-stage name is Sidewinder, is claimed to be the world’s second-longest predicting groundhog. But, Gen. Beauregard Lee, a resident groundhog at Georgia's Yellow River Game Ranch in Gwinnett County, predicted an early spring, along with a Super Bowl win for the Atlanta Falcons."
One more reason to cheer for the Falcons this weekend!
Where did the Groundhog Day tradition begin? It has been traced to Candlemas, an early Christian holiday. Those who celebrated Candlemas decided that clear skies on the holiday meant a longer winter. In Germany, it was believed that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thereby predicting six more weeks of winter. Many German immigrants came to Pennsylvania, bringing the old superstition with them. Hedgehogs, however, are rare in Pennsylvania while groundhogs abound. So they decided that the groundhog, which resembles the European hedgehog, could predict the weather.
Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! Impress your friends with all this trivia this weekend as you cheer on the Falcons - we know Gen. Beauregard Lee will be watching, too!
Peggy Slappey Properties, Inc. is a Metro Atlanta real estate brokerage with over 35 years of experience in real estate sales and marketing. From new home construction to resales, we can help you find the home of your dreams. To see our current listings, visit www.psponline.com and call us for expert advice at 770-271-5555. Keep up to date with the latest PSP events and offers by checking in on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/peggyslappeyproperties and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/psponline.
sources: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/groundhog_day_history_7_facts.html : http://heavy.com/news/2017/02/groundhog-day-february-2-2017-pagan-history-origins-candlemas-information-punxsutawney-phil-groundhog-club-pennsylvania/
Photo credit: (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images); http://heavy.com/news/2017/02/groundhog-day-february-2-2017-pagan-history-origins-candlemas-information-punxsutawney-phil-groundhog-club-pennsylvania/
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