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Groundhog Day
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As you know, Groundhog Day is on February 2nd. While people don't get off of work or school, there are some ways to celebrate. Many people tune to their local news on the morning of the day and watch Phil's entrance out of the ground. He comes out somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00 A.M. Others trek to Pennsylvania and actually visit Gobbler's Knob themselves. Sometimes celebrities show up there, too. It doesn't really matter how you celebrate Groundhog Day, just do!
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Groundhog Day was a solid performer in its initial release, grossing $70.9M in North America and ranking 13th among films released in 1993,[3] but did not achieve blockbuster status. It found a second life on home video and cable, entrenching itself as one of the great American films of the late twentieth century. The film is number thirty-four on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Funniest Movies, and Roger Ebert has revisited it in his "Great Movies" series. After giving it a three-star rating in his original review, Ebert acknowledged in his "Great Movies" essay that, like many viewers, he had initially underestimated the film's many virtues and only came to truly appreciate it through repeated viewings.
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Since arriving as a mild success in 1993, Groundhog Day has gradually achieved the status of beloved. The American Film Institute rates it No.34 on its list of all-time funniest movies, and it's a story that bears frequent repeat viewings. [More]
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The Groundhog Day came into being in North America during the late 1800s. Thanks to the combined effort of Clymer H. Freas, a newspaper editor, and W. Smith, an American Congressman and newspaper publisher. They organized and popularized a yearly festival in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the State was populated predominantly by German settlers. The festival featured a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil which used to foretell how long the winter would last. This very popular event is still being held and is called Groundhog Day.
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Groundhog Day started in Europe, but it wasn't called Groundhog Day then. The holiday was Candlemas, a Christian holiday. The legend about the animal and its shadow was part of Candlemas, but the animal in question was the hedgehog. The Pilgrims brought the tradition to America but couldn't find a hedgehog here, so they seized upon the next best thing.
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As with the Babylonian New Year, the Chinese New Year, which occurred on 1 February in 2003, the day before Groundhog Day, is correlated to the beginning of Spring. The actual rule for the Chinese New Year, used since the Han Dynasty (specifically since the T'ai-ch'u Era of the Emperor Wu Ti in 104 BC), is that the New Year is the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Like the Babylonians, the Chinese used lunar months, though they came to regard the actual New Moon, rather than the first appearance of the young Crescent, as the beginning of the month. This rule seems very peculiar. "Second New Moon"? What's that supposed to be?
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Groundhog Day