Groundhog meteorologists are predicting an early start to spring

Groundhog Day is a tradition in Canada and the United States that is celebrated on February 2 every year. It arises from the belief that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will last another six weeks; But if the rodents do not see their shadow, spring will come earlier.

In front of a crowd in the small town of Wiarton, Ontario, on Friday morning, Willie told South Peninsula Mayor Bruce Jay Kirkland that he hadn't seen his shadow, signaling the beginning of spring.

Wiarton Willie's predictions coincide with those made by three other weather forecasting rats: Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia, Fred La Marmotte in Quebec, and Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania.

The only dissenting sound among the weather forecasting animals came from another species, Lucy the Crayfish, a 50-year-old marine crayfish that lives in the waters off Barrington, in the offshore province of Nova Scotia. Lucy saw her shadow and earnestly predicted another Six more weeks of wonderful winter.

Willie, the albino groundhog, made his prediction at 8:07 a.m. To find out this prediction, they remove Willie from his habitat and the rodent then “tells” the mayor if he sees his shadow. This time, he didn't see her.

Wiarton is a town of about 1,900 people located on the shores of Colboy Bay off Georgian Bay in the province of Ontario. There, every year there is an annual festival that begins with a pancake breakfast and fireworks at 7 a.m.

The festivities continue the next day with a family festival on Saturday, an outdoor curling tournament, a chili cook-off, ice skating, a darts tournament and more.

Wiarton Festival started by 'enthusiast'

The Groundhog Day tradition in Wiarton dates back to 1956. The town of South Bruce Peninsula says on its website that the celebration was started by an “enthusiast” named Mac McKenzie who had Wanting to do something to get rid of the winter blues and bring some warmth to the community.

Groundhog Day was celebrated in the United States in 1886, with the first prediction from Punxsutawney Phil's groundhog, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club reported on its website. The first official trip to Gobbler's Knob, home of Punxsutawney Phil's groundhog, took place on February 2, 1887.

The town of South Bruce Peninsula says Mac McKenzie invited his friends to spend a night on the town to commemorate Groundhog Day, after previously sending out a joking press release, which was received by a journalist who came to town to report on the event.

In a moment of whimsy and spontaneity, when asked where the groundhog was, Mac playfully threw a fur hat into the snow.The city's website says.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to take a memorable photo, the journalist immortalized the hat as a stand-in for the elusive groundhog.

Other animals predict the weather

Punxsutawney Phil is perhaps the most famous groundhog in the world. She is the most experienced in this matter of predicting the duration of winter and her life served as a subject in the film Groundhog DayA 1993 film starring American actor Bill Murray and Canadian actors Robin Duke and Rick Ducommon.

In Canada, in addition to the Wiarton Willie groundhog, there are other animals that also predict the length of winter: Shubenacadie Sam, who lives in Shubenacadie Nature Park in Nova Scotia; Lucy the lobster who lives in Barrington, Nova Scotia; Fred La Marmotte in Val d'Espoir, Quebec. There was also a Winnipeg groundhog in Manitoba, but it died in 2020.

Others Groundhogs Those who also make predictions are Manitoba Murph, a puppet who acts as a golf club liner, and Balzac Billy, a person dressed as a groundhog.

Of course, none of these predictions have scientific value.

Source: CBC/Boeckert

Adaptation: RCI/R. Valencia