Today is Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day is celebrated in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil.
I saw the movie Groundhog Day back in 1993 when I was 18 and it was the first time I ever heard of the holiday. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and didn't experience an actual winter there, so I only associated the day with the movie, it was a day where we had a chance to re-do things over and over until we got them right. It wasn’t until I moved to NYC from PR that I started to look forward to Groundhog Day in the hopes of an early spring, especially this year since we’ve had more snow than I’ve ever seen in my life.
For most of us Groundhog Day comes and goes unnoticed; we go by our days like always. But this year I propose to make it special, send some Groundhog Day e-cards, get some fun printables with the kids and make it a family movie night and watch Groundhog Day with Bill Murray it’s PG and very funny. Maybe this could become a fun family tradition to observe with your family, whether you live in a 4 season city or not.
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