It's Not A Good Sign When the Groundhog Dies

February 2, 2022 6:55 AM

This year's Canadian Groundhog Day ceremony was rife with death and coverup.
posted by dances_with_sneetches (24 comments total)

TIL that cult worship of rodents predicting the weather isn't limited to just that one groundhog and his attendant acolytes. Does every state (and Canadian province apparently) have one? Is it a requirement?
posted by fight or flight at 7:05 AM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

Must be a bad year for groundhogs. New Jersey's Milltown Mel died yesterday, too.
posted by briank at 7:07 AM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]

Was a disgruntled weatherman involved
posted by BlunderingArtist at 7:11 AM on February 2, 2022 [9 favorites]

Does this mean it will be forever winter? And never Christmas?
posted by Grangousier at 7:13 AM on February 2, 2022 [7 favorites]

Well, at least it's not the same damn day over and over again.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:15 AM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]

PHIL HAS KILLED TWICE.
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:15 AM on February 2, 2022 [6 favorites]

Well, at least it's not the same damn day over and over again.

You say that every February 2nd, 2022.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 7:19 AM on February 2, 2022 [12 favorites]

Groundhog Day? It's still Wednesday, March 703rd, 2020.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:21 AM on February 2, 2022 [16 favorites]

I mean, I know that death is there in the description but seriously, don't read this if you don't want to be sad about badly cared for and poorly handled animals that deserve better.
posted by Glinn at 7:22 AM on February 2, 2022 [9 favorites]

if you were wondering if this is the year we build an Ice Wall, wonder no longer
posted by elkevelvet at 7:26 AM on February 2, 2022

I found out today through Instagram that apparently Nova Scotia also uses a lobster for this occasion in addition to a groundhog. Nova Scotians, please confirm.
posted by Kitteh at 8:14 AM on February 2, 2022

THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE BURROW!
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:15 AM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

The hilarious Vinny Thomas as Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day.
posted by fight or flight at 8:15 AM on February 2, 2022

Does every state (and Canadian province apparently) have one?

7 provinces have them - New Brunswick (no official one), Nova Scotia (Shubenacadie Sam), Quebec (Fred la Marmotte), Ontario (Wiarton Willy and his lesser known rival Groundhog Harvey), Manitoba (not Brandon Bob but Manitoba Merv), Alberta (Balzac Billy) and British Columbia (Van Isle Violet).
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:42 AM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

There are no groundhogs in Newfoundland, but it doesn't matter because on February 2 the answer to "will there be 6 more weeks of winter" is always yes. There will be at least 16 more weeks of winter, though not necessarily adjacent weeks. Spring is... erratic.
posted by oulipian at 8:58 AM on February 2, 2022 [7 favorites]

While primates should not be kept at home, this is also an opportunity to learn about Whistlepig Wednesday.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:02 AM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

Was a disgruntled weatherman involved

Has Bill De Blasio visited recently?
posted by evidenceofabsence at 9:22 AM on February 2, 2022

I had just looked to see if Wiarton Willie had tweeted today and nothing since November, and now I know why.
posted by stevil at 9:34 AM on February 2, 2022

Huh. Wondering if maybe this was a foretelling of O'Toole's fate in the confidence vote.
posted by nubs at 10:03 AM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

I was scrolling in a general malaise of despair about the world in general, and the utter absurdity of the Harbringer of Spring dying midceremony made me break down into uncontrollable giggling at just how pointless this all is. Oy vey. Sobbing was the other choice, so I'll cling to the maniacal insanity.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:34 AM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

Huh. Wondering if maybe this was a foretelling of O'Toole's fate in the confidence vote.

"The smell [of the defeated Conservative leader] was something you wouldn’t have wanted to be near. It would have been a closed-casket funeral.”
posted by clawsoon at 10:39 AM on February 2, 2022

Does every state (and Canadian province apparently) have one?

Louisiana has Parish the Nutria.
posted by CheeseLouise at 10:44 AM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

There are no groundhogs in Newfoundland, but it doesn't matter because on February 2 the answer to "will there be 6 more weeks of winter" is always yes.

I grew up in Northern BC, and in my experience only 6 more weeks of winter would have been an early spring. That's spring in mid-March! That would be like a month early!
posted by jacquilynne at 11:08 AM on February 2, 2022

This post sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole (or a groundhog hole, I guess), and TIL not only that several other states and provinces have their own groundhogs or other animals (Pennsylvania itself even has another one, which somehow apparently predicts weather despite being taxidermied!), but also that Groundhog Day, despite being about Punxsutawney Phil, was filmed at the location of one of those other critters! Namely Woodstock, IL, where abides one Woodstock Willie. What a world.
posted by solotoro at 1:06 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]