Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter … Yep … he saw his shadow 
Yes, yes, yes, it is Groundhog Day! How the most significant of our holldays slipped my mind, I have no idea. Thanks for the reminder. I knew there must be a reason why I stayed home from work today, and this is it. 
lmao Mr. B 
What better reason to stay home?
I’m going to make a some chicken soup and dumplings in honor of another cold couple of months
I always thought this a strange holiday. There are only 6 weeks until the first day of spring anyway!
LOL.
Also, another Wiki tidbit on this day we dedicated the Badger Den:
The weather lore was brought from German-speaking areas where the badger (German: dachs) is the forecasting animal. This appears to be an enhanced version of the lore that clear weather on Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter.
1 Like
It also harkens back to the pagan holiday of Imbolc (Feb. 1), a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring. Also known as Brigid’s Day or Saint Brigid’s Day. It was a time of weather divination, when there was a tradition of watching to see if snakes or badgers came from their winter dens.
Imbolc was believed to be when the Cailleach - the divine hag of tradition - gathered her firewood for the rest of winter. If she wanted winter to last longer, she would make sure the weather on Imbolc was bright and sunny so she could gather plenty of wood. If Imbolc weather was cloudy, people were happy because it meant Cailleach was asleep and winter was almost over.
2 Likes
Around here it’s skunks. I always know it’s pretty safe to plant the garden if I smell skunk on a fine spring morning.
2 Likes