Groundhog Day

[Thomas Promise]

It is a tradition brought over here from German settlers in Pennsylvania. It is a tradition base on Candlemas, the day that is midpoint between winter and spring. Here is a poem that is based on it.

 

If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter has another flight
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain
Winter will not come again

 

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from Gobbler's Knob and saw his shadow. He made his prognostication of 6 more weeks of winter. Happy Groundhog Day!

[Mick]

Down here in Tennerbama, it is raining and we have thick cloud cover. We don't use a ground hog though, we use a possum. The tradition is that after bringing out the possum to see if he sees his shadow, we then shoot the possum and give it to a needy family for vittles. So we don't have a critter like Punxsutawney Phil that comes back year after year. We just have a different possum every year. It is based on an ancient tradition from the days the first settlers come into these parts. They, too, wrote a poem that goes like this:

 

If the possum sees the sun,

Put a bullet in his bun.

If he sees the clouds instead,

Put a bullet in his head.

 

It don't much matter one way or the other, especially if you is the possum.