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Journalism of Courage
Sunday, February 2, was observed as Groundhog Day in many parts of the US and Canada, marking an annual tradition in which a groundhog is believed to predict whether winter would be prolonged, or spring would arrive early.
THE MOST famous of these prognostication ceremonies is held in Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania, and is attended by thousands of people. If it is sunny on February 2, and a groundhog (a rodent native to North America) emerges from its burrow and sees its own shadow, another six weeks of winter weather follows, goes the tradition. On the other hand, if the animal doesn’t see its shadow, milder weather is forecast for the following weeks, indicating an early onset of spring.
THE PUNXSUTAWNEY event began in 1887, and receives significant media attention. On Sunday, around 7.25 am, the designated groundhog “Punxsutawney Phil” emerged from its burrow in Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, and apparently did not see its shadow. A top-hatted member of Phil’s “inner circle” then read from the groundhog’s prediction scroll: “Now my forecast on a day that’s a palindrome (02.02.2020) will cause some to cheer and some to moan. So do I hope you think it’s neighbourly, for there is no shadow of me, spring it’ll be early, it’s a certainty.”
THE ‘PREDICTION’ is obviously prepared in advance — and Phil, who has been taking a shots at forecasting the change of season for more than 130 years, has been accurate on less than 40% of times. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cautions that the groundhog has “no predictive skill”.
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