"HEAR YE! HEAR YE! MANY SHADOWS I DO SEE, SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER IT MUST BE," WAS ANNOUNCED EARLY THIS MORNING TO A CROWD OF APPROXIMATELY 18,000 FANS OF PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL WHO GATHERED FOR THIS TIME-HONORED TRADITIONAL CELEBRATION HELD EVERY YEAR AT GOBBLER'S KNOB NEAR PITTSBURGH, PA. "
"OF COURSE, TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, WE WILL HAVE SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER REGARDLESS OF PHIL'S "PREDICTION" (WHICH IS ALREADY DECIDED IN SECRET BY THE ANNUAL MEMBERS OF THE "INNER CIRCLE" WHO WEAR TOP HATS AND TUXEDOS), BUT GROUNDHOG DAY IS SUCH A FUN CELEBRATION IN PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA WITH AN ENTIRE DAY OF FOOD AND MUSIC!"
"(INNER CIRCLE MEMBER AND PHIL'S CO-HANDLER JOHN GRIFFITHS HOLDS PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL ON GROUNDHOG DAY 2012) GROUNDHOG DAYS' ORIGINS BEGAN WITH THE ANCIENT CELTIC PAGAN CELEBRATION OF IMBOLG/IMBOLC AND THEN EVENTUALLY BECAME THE CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY OF CANDLEMAS ("CANDLE NIGHT"). THE SUPERSTITION BEING OF COURSE THE VERY HEART OF IT WITH THE BELIEF THAT IF A HIBERNATING ANIMAL (ORIGINALLY THE BADGER) CASTS A SHADOW ON FEBRUARY 2ND, WINTER WOULD LAST ANOTHER SIX WEEKS. IF NO SHADOW WAS SEEN, LEGEND SAID SPRING WOULD COME EARLY."
"ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE GROUNDHOG DAY CELEBRATION IS THE FACT THAT BILL MURRAY PARTICIPATES AND HE IS ALLOWED BY PHIL'S OFFICIAL HANDLERS TO HOLD THE GROUNDHOG. AND, WHAT I FIND EVEN MORE COOL IS THAT HE REALLY DOES ENJOY BEING A PART OF THIS TRADITION AS HE HAS ATTENDED IT EVERY YEAR SINCE HIS MOVIE, "GROUNDHOG DAY" WAS RELEASED. I THINK IT IS SO CUTE HOW HE ALWAYS TALKS TO PHIL WHILE PETTING HIM BOTH DURING AND AFTER THE CEREMONY."
"PHIL LIVES IN A LIBRARY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY THE REST OF THE YEAR WHERE HE RESIDES WITH HIS "WIFE" PHYLLIS. ON THE EARLY MORNING OF GROUNDHOG DAY, HE IS TAKEN TO GOBBLER'S KNOB WHERE HE IS KEPT IN A HEATED, SIMULATED LOG UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO MAKE HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AS THE CROWD ENTHUSIASTICALLY CALLS TO HIM ~ "PHIL! PHIL! PHIL!" HE IS THEN BROUGHT OUT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE INNER CIRCLE AND ONE OF HIS HANDLERS TO HAVE A LITTLE 'CHAT" IN "GROUNDHOGESE." AFTER WHICH THE PRESIDENT ANNOUCES PHIL'S PREDICTION TO ALL WATCHING."
"NEEDLESS TO SAY, PHIL IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST FAMOUS GROUNDHOG IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. WE LOVE YA,PHIL!"
"HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!"
"(PHOTO CREDIT)"
