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i believe that
groundhog's day is one of the more under rated holidays. it's
seems to be celebrated only in the north america and despite lending
it's name to a bill murray movie, it lacks the international recognition
it so dearly deserves. yes, a few very hip, trendy and groundhog
aware cities do their best to drum up enthusiasm for the holiday,
but, for the most part, there is a serious lack of groundhog day
parties, parades, picnics, pastries, percussion performances,
poetry
readings and week long festivals devoted to the furry little weatherman. in an effort to make this holiday a little more exciting, i started the tradition of baking groundhog's day cookies and giving them to my friends. i am sure in a year or two everyone will be joining in and bestowing groundhog gifts, treats and cards on family and friends. can annual groundhog's day dances and traditional groundhog's day fireworks displays lighting up the chilly winter sky be far off? groundhog's day or candlemas is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. it is believed that bright clear weather on february 2nd meant 6 more weeks of winter weather. if it's gloomy and overcast then spring is just around the corner. in germany hibernating hedgehogs were watched to see if they stayed out of their burrows on candlemas or if they returned to catch a few more winks. eventually, germans settled in hedgehog-free neighborhoods in north america. lucky for them, the plucky woodchuck, who has always shown a great aptitude for meteorology, stepped right up to fill in the shoes of it's european cousin. the next thing you know, the woodchucks have adopted the stage name of "groundhogs" and lobbied to have the name "candlemas" changed to groundhog's day. the rest is history. special ground hogs day cookies a quick guide to using your groundhog (or hedgehog if you have one) for weather prediction.
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