COMMENTARY: Who do you believe: Punxsutawney Phil or Bee Cave Bob?

Groundhog Day has come and gone, and the little rodent predicted more winter weather.
While not to impugn the integrity of weather forecasting from what is basically an oversized gerbil, I’m calling bull. With the exception of a few days here and there, this winter has been plenty mild in our area.
According to an essay called “Totemism and Civic Boosterism in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,” by Christopher R. Davis, Groundhog Day has its roots in the Catholic tradition of Candlemas, where priests would bless and give away candles needed for winter. The candles “predicted how long and cold the winter would be.” The Germans embroidered this a bit by choosing the badger as a way to predict the weather. Davis points out that in some regions of Germany, they follow a bear since a bear leaving his hibernation is a sure sign of spring.

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