Happy Groundhog Day!
According to the CBC
Groundhog Day consensus: early Canadian spring
Last Updated Thu, 02 Feb 2006 09:05:23 EST
CBC News
Canadians can look forward to an early spring, based on two famous groundhogs failing to see their shadows on Thursday.
Wiarton Willie's handlers consult with the rodent seer before announcement.
Groundhog Day cheers erupted in Wiarton, Ont., as Wiarton Willie's white-gloved, purple-robed handlers made the morning announcement that the rodent hadn't seen his shadow, indicating an early end to winter.
Organizers of the Wiarton Willie Festival claim the albino groundhog's track record over the past 50 years is "better than 90 per cent."
On the East Coast, Nova Scotia's best-known woodchuck also signalled an early spring. Shubenacadie Sam emerged from his heated home at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park outside Halifax and failed to see his shadow.
The news comes as many Canadian cities reported their warmest January on record. Environmental officials believe a vortex of cold air that usually traverses the globe is parked over Russia, blanketing Europe with arctic weather. In contrast, North America is bathed in warmer air from the jet stream.
That fact isn't lost on Wiarton Willie, said his handler, Mack MacKenzie, who translated the groundhog's comments: "Fools, it is spring already. Why are you making these silly predictions?"
South of the border, Punxsutawney Phil delivered some unwelcome news.
Mack MacKenzie, rodent handler and translator.
The large crowd gathered in Gobbler's Knob, Penn., groaned loudly after learning the chunky critter saw his shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter.
Groundhog Day legend began with a German superstition that suggests if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on the Christian holiday of Candlemas, which is Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. No shadow indicates an early spring.
Europeans used to watch for hedgehogs, but a hedgehog shortage in North America caused settlers to switch to woodchucks, also known as groundhogs.