Potomac Phil, D.C.’s taxidermied groundhog, emerged in entrance of the Dupont Circle fountain Friday however didn’t see his shadow, predicting an early spring this 12 months.
Potomac Phil, D.C.’s taxidermied groundhog, emerged in entrance of the Dupont Circle fountain Friday however didn’t see his shadow, predicting an early spring this 12 months.
Potomac Phil additionally predicted one other six months of political gridlock, a prediction distinctive to the stuffed creature.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged about an hour sooner than Potomac Phil, round 7:30 a.m. and likewise didn’t see his shadow.
Potomac Phil’s prediction is in, from the annual celebration in Dupont Circle. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/J0f0yicbcd
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) February 2, 2024
What are the vacation’s origins?
Celtic individuals throughout Europe marked the 4 days which can be halfway between the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer time solstice and the autumn equinox. What the Celts known as Imbolc can also be round when Christians rejoice Candlemas, timed to Joseph and Mary’s presentation of Jesus on the Temple in Jerusalem.
Historic individuals would watch the solar, stars and animal conduct to information farming practices and different choices, and the observe of watching an animal’s emergence from winter hibernation to forecast climate has roots in an analogous German custom involving badgers or bears. Pennsylvania Germans apparently substituted the groundhog, endemic to the jap and midwestern United States.
Historians have discovered a reference in an 1841 diary to groundhog climate forecasts in early February amongst households of German descent in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, in keeping with the late Don Yoder, a College of Pennsylvania professor whose 2003 guide about Groundhog Day explored the Celtic connection.
Yoder concluded the competition has roots in “historical, undoubtedly prehistoric, climate lore.”
The Related Press and WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
Get breaking information and each day headlines delivered to your electronic mail inbox by signing up right here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This web site isn’t meant for customers situated inside the European Financial Space.