What even is Groundhog Day anyways? To be exact, it derives from a Pennsylvania Dutch supersition that if a groundhog emerges from the ground and sees its own shadow due to clear weather, we can expect winter to persist for another six more weeks. If, on the contrary, the groundhog does not see its shadow due to cloudiness, spring will arrive early.
Many popular groundhogs across Canada are used to confirm this theory on groundhog day, such as Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam, Ontario's Wiarton Willie, and Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil.
In Quebec, our very own "Fred la Marmotte" from Gaspésie unfortunately passed away early this morning...In its place, a plush groundhog provided by children of the region made the winter prediction! It looks like Quebec will still be experiencing winter for a few more weeks at least...
