February 2, Canada, did the Groundhog see his shadow????

Wiarton Willie is a famous Canadian groundhog (yuk a rodent) who lives in the community of Wiarton, Ontario.

Every February 2, at approximately 8:00 am, Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local Wiarton Willie Festival. His job is to tell us Canadians (yes, we believe the groundhog before Environment Canada) whether there will be six more weeks of winter to come.

ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO

Mac McKenzie, who founded the Wiarton Willie event in 1956,
is shown with the famous albino groundhog in 2006.

Although the original “Wiarton Willie groundhog” died in 1999, the Wiarton groundhog day celebrations continue each year with the original Willie's successors, referred to as "Wee Willie."

Groundhog Day, featuring this popular rodent is a popular annual festival in Wiarton. A midwinter celebration involving an animal with predictive powers was an element of Celtic culture. The link between weather prediction and the day is said to have been inspired by a Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear … there'll be two winters in the year.

Here is the deal with this groundhog … if he emerges and doesn’t see his shadow, he interprets it as a sign of spring and stays above ground. If he emerges and it’s a sunny period, his shadow will be visible and that will frighten it right back into its hole for six more weeks of winter in Canada, well we can all just pray its not a sunny day tomorrow .

Candlemas Day, Feb 2, holds several meanings.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03245b.htm

Candlemas, Feb. 2, Also called: Purification of the Blessed Virgin (Greek Hypapante), Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Observed 2 February in the Latin Rite

Candlemas Day. The feast of the purification of the Virgin Mary, when Christ was presented by her in the Temple.

February 2nd, in the Roman Catholic Church, there is a candle procession, to consecrate all the candles which will be needed in the church during the year. The candles symbolise Jesus Christ, called "the light of the world." and "a light to lighten the Gentiles". It was the old Roman custom of burning candles to the goddess Februa, mother of Mars, to scare away evil spirits. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.