Groundhog Day: Animal Folklore forecast seasonal changes

Groundhog Day, February 2 has a long history of folklore, on which he estimated the practice of listening in order to protect the animals on the changes in the weather. For centuries it has been said to identify animals that contain a certain amount of intuition that better prepares them to climate change and natural resources. Already in the fifth century, the Celts believed that animals with supernatural powers that they contain to predict the future behavior of the time allowed. This supernaturalwere active only on a particular day that marks the halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. E 'was important to be able to predict whether the spring is likely to come early to predict better the proper sowing to harvest in the fields. After all, if the seeds were planted too early and was followed by more winter weather, agricultural production would be very bad.

In German folklore, was told that when the roof came from his winter dentoo soon, would be afraid of his shadow and withdraw within 56 weeks for five more. In France and England, the bear, the animal was probably the winter, the ability to assess at the end. Like the British and German immigrants came to America, it is likely that the rate and brings with the marmot marmots have been replaced because of more abundant in the new country.

Christians have historically called Candlemas holiday. Candlemas DayScore a festival that celebrates the Presentation of Christ in the temple. Before the Christian Candlemas, a pagan ceremony celebrating the days are longer and the fertility of the fields was often referred to by candlelight. Instead of using a Groundhog on Groundhog Day, recited a nursery rhyme English Christians to predict the weather: If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will be another flight, we will, but if it is dark with clouds and rain to be here, winter is over andagain.

Both techniques, the marmot and Candlemas rhyme ultimately lead to the same conclusion: if it's too sunny on February 2 there is an additional four to six weeks to come the winter. However, there is something waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog in Pennsylvania to get out of his cave, the Groundhog Day is a unique celebration of spring.