Punxsutawney Phil Spooked Once More

February 2 marks Groundhog Day 2015, a celebrated folk holiday where the trend of the remaining days of winter is predicted by the holiday’s revered mascot, Punxsutawney Phil, the resident groundhog of Punxsutawney, Pa. Groundhog Day has been celebrated for over 170 years, with the first recorded instance of celebration occurring in Morgantown, Pennsylvania on February 4, 1841, while the largest celebration of Groundhog Day is found in Punxsutawney, Pa. Despite the fact that Phil has seen his shadow at least 102 times out of 111 predictions (indicating six more weeks of winter), as many as 40,000 onlookers still gather at the Punxsutawney celebration. The tradition has strong roots in Germanic folklore, and Pennsylvanian German dialect is the only language spoken at the numerous fersommlinges that will occur throughout the country. These events typically involve feasts, plays, and speeches, with people speaking English paying a token fine per word spoken, in an attempt to honor the holiday’s cultural roots. This year contributed to Phil’s 102 count, as the furry seer again claimed that winter would trudge on. While many people are disappointed with the prediction, and many school children are excited, East Tennesseans will be, as always, anticipating an unpredictable season in the remaining weeks.