Famous American Groundhog Makes Yearly Winter Prediction
2021-02-03
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1In a yearly American tradition, a famous groundhog has predicted there will be six more weeks of winter.
2The animal, named Punxsutawney Phil, climbed out of his hole Tuesday morning in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
3A ceremony takes place each February 2 to mark the tradition, which is known as Groundhog Day.
4If the groundhog can see his shadow, the tradition says, there will be six more weeks of winter.
5If the animal's shadow cannot be seen, Americans can expect an early spring.
6A group of people from the local community lead the ceremony.
7They are known as Punxsutawney Phil's "inner circle."
8Members of the group said they woke the furry creature up at 7:25 a.m.
9Shortly after this year's prediction became clear, one member of the inner circle shared a message to the public he said Phil had expressed earlier in the day.
10The message stated that after the longer expected winter, you can "(look) forward to one of the most beautiful and brightest springs you've ever seen."
11Another member spoke about the unusual nature of the past year.
12He noted that people have been talking about life being similar to the subject of the 1993 film Groundhog Day.
13In the movie, a reporter visits Punxsutawney to cover the event, but becomes stuck in time.
14He then has to repeat the same day, over and over again, until he becomes a better person.
15"It has felt like at times we're all living the same day over and over again," the member said.
16However, "Groundhog Day also shows us that the monotony ends - the cycle will be broken."
17He added that there would only be one Groundhog Day this year, and that a new day is "coming over the horizon."
18The event, however, looked very different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
19While in the past thousands of people have traveled to Punxsutawney for the event, no crowds were permitted this year.
20The ceremony was held virtually.
21A live broadcast of the activities -- which at times had up to 15,000 watchers -- played videos from past Groundhog Day celebrations ahead of this year's prediction.
22When Punxsutawney Phil appeared, the president of the inner circle, Jeff Lundy, declared "you look beautiful."
23Another member then announced, "We have all passed through the darkness of night, but now see hope in morning's bright light. But now when I turn to see, there's a perfect shadow cast of me."
24This year's prediction, like many years in the past, came as a major snowstorm hit the U.S. Northeast.
25The tradition came to North America when German immigrants arrived in what is now the state of Pennsylvania.
26They chose the groundhog, a large rodent and member of the marmot family, as the animal to continue the tradition.
27Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania dates back to 1886.
28In the event's history, groundhogs have predicted winter 106 times and spring 20 times, members of the inner circle say.
29Some years were lost because no records were kept.
30Groundhog Day has become a part of American culture.
31Other states now hold their own celebrations with local groundhogs.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1In a yearly American tradition, a famous groundhog has predicted there will be six more weeks of winter. 2The animal, named Punxsutawney Phil, climbed out of his hole Tuesday morning in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A ceremony takes place each February 2 to mark the tradition, which is known as Groundhog Day. 3If the groundhog can see his shadow, the tradition says, there will be six more weeks of winter. If the animal's shadow cannot be seen, Americans can expect an early spring. 4A group of people from the local community lead the ceremony. They are known as Punxsutawney Phil's "inner circle." Members of the group said they woke the furry creature up at 7:25 a.m. 5Shortly after this year's prediction became clear, one member of the inner circle shared a message to the public he said Phil had expressed earlier in the day. The message stated that after the longer expected winter, you can "(look) forward to one of the most beautiful and brightest springs you've ever seen." 6Another member spoke about the unusual nature of the past year. He noted that people have been talking about life being similar to the subject of the 1993 film Groundhog Day. In the movie, a reporter visits Punxsutawney to cover the event, but becomes stuck in time. He then has to repeat the same day, over and over again, until he becomes a better person. 7"It has felt like at times we're all living the same day over and over again," the member said. However, "Groundhog Day also shows us that the monotony ends - the cycle will be broken." He added that there would only be one Groundhog Day this year, and that a new day is "coming over the horizon." 8The event, however, looked very different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. While in the past thousands of people have traveled to Punxsutawney for the event, no crowds were permitted this year. The ceremony was held virtually. 9A live broadcast of the activities -- which at times had up to 15,000 watchers -- played videos from past Groundhog Day celebrations ahead of this year's prediction. 10When Punxsutawney Phil appeared, the president of the inner circle, Jeff Lundy, declared "you look beautiful." Another member then announced, "We have all passed through the darkness of night, but now see hope in morning's bright light. But now when I turn to see, there's a perfect shadow cast of me." 11This year's prediction, like many years in the past, came as a major snowstorm hit the U.S. Northeast. 12The tradition came to North America when German immigrants arrived in what is now the state of Pennsylvania. They chose the groundhog, a large rodent and member of the marmot family, as the animal to continue the tradition. 13Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania dates back to 1886. In the event's history, groundhogs have predicted winter 106 times and spring 20 times, members of the inner circle say. Some years were lost because no records were kept. 14Groundhog Day has become a part of American culture. Other states now hold their own celebrations with local groundhogs. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. 18_______________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20shadow - n. a dark shape that appears on a surface when someone or something moves between the surface and a source of light 21monotony - n. a situation in which something stays the same and is therefore boring 22cycle - n. a group of events that happen in a particular order and are often repeated 23over the horizon - phr v. about to happen 24virtually - adv. using computer and internet technology to conduct activities normally carried out in person 25cast - v. to send light or a shadow in a particular direction