Who’s Punxsatawney Phil?

Groundhog Day is an annual holiday on February 2nd where the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, predicts whether spring will come early or Winter will last longer. What do you think the groundhog will predict? Early spring or long winter?

This holiday started in 1886, with only a few people celebrating it. Over the years, more and more people celebrate it, and it has increased by thousands. Since this holiday has been around since 1886, how is the groundhog still alive? The average groundhog’s lifespan is 3 years. The legend has it that Punxsutawney Phil is no average groundhog. Every fall, there is an annual Groundhog Picnic. The groundhog is given a special drink called “Groundhog Punch” or “Elixir of Life” which expands his lifespan. So far, the story says he has lived for 139 years, which is 46 times more than the average Groundhog. (In reality, there have been new groundhogs who have replaced Phil over the years).   Punxsutawney Phil always predicts the seasons on February 2nd.

Predictions

The Groundhog comes out after a long winter sleep to check his shadow. If he sees it, it means 6 more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy and he doesn’t see his own shadow, Spring is coming early. This is what a few classes predict:

Mrs. Hayek’s Class:

9 Early Spring, 14 Long Winter

Mr. Fonseca’s Class:

12 Early Spring, 16 Long Winter

Mrs. Kocaya’s Class:

9 Early Spring, 15 Long Winter

Mrs. Miles’ Class:

2 Early Spring, 15 Long Winter

Total: 32 Early Spring, 60 Long Winter

Who is responsible for carrying the tradition year after year? There is a group called the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle. They feed and care for the Groundhog and plan the events annually, A.J. Dereume is his handler (takes care of and holds him up). He holds Phil up to show everyone who participated in the holiday. Phil is located in Punxsutawney Philadelphia (hence his name). Many people think Punxsutawney Phil will predict a long Winter and last year the predictions landed near Early Spring. His predictions are not always correct. He’s only been right for 35% of the time. These predictions were made before Phil interpreted his shadow in 2025, and since he saw his shadow, the people who predicted a long winter are correct! Did you think that he was going to predict a long winter? Let us know in the comments!

Bibliography

“Home | the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.” Groundhog.org, 2019, www.groundhog.org/.

Williams, Damon C, and Nicholas Sorensen. “Groundhog Day 2025: Who Is Punxsutawney Phil?” North Jersey Media Group, NorthJersey.com, 15 Jan. 2025, www.northjersey.com/story/news/2025/01/15/groundhog-day-who-is-punxsutawney-phil/77715447007/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.