World, Writing, Wealth discussion

My cellphone calendar surprises me sometimes with different unknown to me holidays, nearest being Groundhog Day.
What is it, what's the story and how do you celebrate, if at all? -:)

you wrote Groundhog and I read Hounddog lol. I don't know what that means mate.

-:)

The legend is it's the day the groundhog (a big rodent kind of thing, looks a bit like a small capybara or a giant guinea pig to me) pokes his head up out of his burrow after his winter hibernation. If he stays above ground, spring is right around the corner, and if he goes back under, there's another 6 weeks of winter yet.

I believe the groundhog is named Phil (I'm not sure if that's because all groundhogs are named Phil, or just this particular one.)

It's also slang for "repeating things over and over", after the movie where Bill Murray is doomed by some supernatural force to keep waking up on the same day and repeating it, until he gets it right. I think he's actually in the town in the first place to report on the groundhog, hence the movie's title being "Groundhog Day".

Good movie.

The groundhog: The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or whistlepig,[2] is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. They're all over the world. Here in Germany they are called Marmoltiers. They live up in the Alps.

GD sounds holiday enough to open something nice for a couple of 'cheers' -:)

Since Ian keeps bringing it up, we might as well refresh our understanding of this monumental holiday. How deep -rooted and important is this tradition?

Doesn't happen in Australia!

With all due respect to Krazykiwi I am from Pennsylvania home of Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog of Groundhogs Day and when he emerges from his burrow if he sees his shadow or not is the deciding factor for forecasting 6 more weeks of winter or not.

Doesn't happen in NZ either. No groundhogs. As it happens they are not "all over the world".

On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter. It's all "hog"wash. Here, on March 1, it's already spring. Groundhog day is one of those cultural traditions that doesn't mean anything.