Groundhog Day

A popular-meteorology celebration festival, celebrated in the USA every February 2. The date marks precisely the equator of winter and, according to folklore, whether or not a groundhog casts a shadow dictates how the weather will behave for the rest of the winter season. The origin of this tradition is medieval and Central European, although in the past it was the bear that was the chosen animal to carry out such a bold forecast. On the morning of that day - February 2 -, in a small town in the state of Pennsylvania called Punxsutawney, a pompous, well-attended ceremony takes place, broadcast by television channels around the world. A member of the "Groundhog Club" takes the media-famous rodent out of its burrow, wakes it from its winter torpor, and observes whether or not it casts a shadow on the ground. If the groundhog sees its own shadow, tradition holds that winter will last six more weeks. If it does not see it, then spring-like weather will arrive early that year. In Spain and other countries of Catholic tradition, that day marks the feast of Candlemas (La Candelaria or Candelera), a date of special significance for farmers.