Groundhog Day has come and gone, and we have a prediction of an early Spring.
Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow, predicts an early spring
— reported by the Houston Chronicle
A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction.
Phil did not see his shadow today which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.
[snip]
Each Feb. 2, thousands of people descend on Punxsutawney, a town of about 6,100 people about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, to celebrate what had essentially been a German superstition.
The Germans believed that if a hibernating animal cast a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.
