It’s said that on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, that if a groundhog comes out of its burrow and sees his shadow that there will be six more weeks of winter, while if he doesn’t see his shadow it means that spring will be coming early.
Well, it looks like Wiarton Willie (Ontario’s groundhog) and Shubenacadie Sam (Nova Scotia’s official groundhog) both didn’t see their shadows… but, they’re eastern groundhogs, so maybe they’ll be getting an early spring out that way.
The most famous of all groundhogs, however, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow.
It’s kind of a fun tradition as people always seem to look forward to Groundhog Day, will he or won’t he see his shadow?
In Saskatchewan, although not an “official” weather predicting groundhog, has emerged to say that there will be more winter in the coming months. Whelan Woody has apparently predicted 10 more weeks of winter as opposed to the usual six… but the Saskatchewan groundhog has also predicted good things to come for the Saskatchewan Roughriders… both items are up for debate, but only time will tell if Whelan Woody was correct.
Whelan Woody is rather new to his forecasts, but apparently he’s been correct since he started three years ago.
Personally, I don’t think a groundhog can tell the weather… I could be wrong, but I do think it’s one of those fun things our society does that we bond over. It’s something little that creates conversation and it kind of makes you feel like a little kid again because I remember finding out what Groundhog Day was in elementary school. It was quite a bit of fun to think this little creature would be coming out to tell us if there would be an early spring or more winter.
Typically in Saskatchewan, I think we mostly get more winter, but it’s just one of those traditions that endure. Despite crazy things going on in the world, it’s nice to have something of a different topic to discuss.
I was on some form of social media the other day and had a laugh. We were quite preoccupied with everything going on in the United States and most people still are, but the post says that it’s a good season in Canada because we’ve been distracted by the troubles in the world by “Roll up the rim” season at Tim Horton’s.
And it’s true, there’s terrible things in the world; but, you can’t fret about them every minute of every day, and little things that bring excitement whether it’s Groundhog Day or a “Roll up the rim,” I think it’s important in life to grasp at the little things that can lighten your mood.
We might have first world problems… I use this excuse all the time, someone else has it worse than me, my problems are first world problems. However, at the same time, my problems are still problems and are still relevant to me and my mental health no matter what someone else’s problems happen to be. I am lucky to have the problems I have to deal with, but they do remain problems. So, enjoy the little things that make you happy.
