Hi Everyone,
This February we will be holding an event to celebrate Groundhog Day.
It will start at 07:15 prompt and will end at 07:45, and the LEC’s very own Punxsutawney Bill will be making his prediction at 07:25!
We will be gathering at the first bench, in the garden at the junction of Quality Street and the A23, Merstham.
There will be an event log to sign, and a container for TBs and Geocoins, however, unfortunately due to the event's location it is unsuitable for large trackables.
Finally, there will be a group photo, but this is optional!
Please log your 'Will Attend' in the normal way.
So why not come along an join the celebration and see if spring will arrive early, or winter persist for another six weeks.
terrapintim 🐢 Punxsutawney Bill 🐿
The Group Photo
The History
The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day has become most commonly associated with the current celebration, but it's roots are older than that. The celebration started in Christianity as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. This, they felt, would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter.
As time rolled on the day evolved into another form. The following English folk song highlights the transition to weather prognostication.
“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again”.
This “interpretation” of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe. As you can read, there is no mention of an animal of any kind in the preceding song. It wasn't until this traditional belief was introduced to Germany that an animal was introduced into the lore, hence another evolution of February 2nd. If, according to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. As German settlers came to what is now the United States, so too came their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen. This leads us to yet another evolution in the legend and to present day Punxsutawney, Philadelphia.
The First Celebration
In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world.
Today's Tradition
Today, Groundhog Day remains what it was when the tradition first came to our shores and found its way to Punxsutawney. A day to take everything a little less seriously, and break up the winter monotony... at least for a little while!
The Movie
Groundhog Day was released in 1993, and was directed by Harold Ramis, and starred Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Murray portrays Phil Connors, a cynical television weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive February 2 repeatedly. Groundhog Day is considered one of the most beloved comedy movies ever made, an all-time classic, and a pop-culture touchstone.
The League of Extraordinary Celebrations
We are a very special part of the League of Extraordinary Cachers (LEC), and came into existence following a brilliant suggestion from Sterling-Cache. For those that don’t know the LEC are a friendly and enthusiastic caching group, who want to meet as many geocachers as possible to share experiences, swap stories, exchange trackables and encourage geocaching, whilst having lots and lots of fun. If you want to know more about the group please contact terrapintim 🐢