Every year, since 1887, on February 2nd, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, is brought out of his borrow, to predict the future. The legend is, if Phil sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter, but if he doesn’t, spring will come 6 weeks earlier. While we do have many important holidays in America, there are also some that are considered absurd and useless, like Groundhog day. The people a part of the Groundhog club come together to the Globbers Knob, in silly top hats and tuxedos, waiting for the emergence of a groundhog to predict the hereafter with only his shadow. I guess we should let our rodents predict everything. Phil may be very cute and cuddly but there is no scientific proof his shadow is accurate.. Live Science claims, “Data from the Stormfax Almanac’s data shows that Phil’s six-week prognostications have been correct about 39% of the time, so less than chance.”
Many commemorate this pointless holiday which makes no sense, since holidays are supposed to withstand a deeper meaning behind them. If there is no proven evidence, and no significance, what’s the point of celebrating it. Not only is it that the groundhog is far off from being right about the future, but the world is also evolving and creating more trustworthy technology to predict weather, like satellites, radars, and supercomputers. Phils unhelpful predictions shouldn’t be needed anymore. As the Climate changes more and more, we should use more reliable sources upon the arrival or delay of spring.
Not only is Phil the world’s worst meteorologist but the celebration of Groundhog day isn’t considered the best for his health either. The PETA- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, made a statement to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, on January 21st, 2025, considering how Phil could maybe use a break from his greatness. Granted the Groundhog has been renewed multiple times throughout history, the PETA suggested it could be best for the groundhog to take a break. The letter highlights how groundhogs are not very social animals, and when they are not held against their will, to inaccurately predict the weather, they normally hide away and avoid humans. It is not in Phil’s natural instinct to be brought on stage to be presented to a big crowd with flashing lights and noisy human sounds. It in fact goes against everything groundhogs are innate to. So the big question is, why would people want to keep putting this poor creator through so much when it is opposing his natural tendencies. Yes, Groundhog Day is a fun, witty holiday, that we have been celebrating for almost 250 years, but it seems like it was outdated a long time ago.
