In the 1700s, a lot of German immigrants moved to the US. According to German folklore, certain animals have special powers on certain days. The groundhog is one of those animals. Its special day was previously on Candlemas, a holiday that was celebrated when winter was half over. Later, the groundhog got its own holiday, on which Punxsutawney Phil is now the biggest star.

Groundhog Day is every February 2. On this day, people watch as Phil steps out of his hole after a long winter of sleeping. If he sees his own shadow, he runs back inside, and winter weather will not end soon. On the contrary, it means that six more weeks of cold weather are still ahead. If it is cloudy, Phil won't see his shadow. Therefore, he predicts that spring weather will arrive soon.

Americans aren't the only people who eagerly wait for a groundhog's prediction. In Canada, Wiarton Willie predicts the end of winter weather. While this kind of festival is fun, it's doubtful whether any human or animal can actually understand Mother Nature.

十八世纪时有许多德国人移民到美国。根据德国的民间传说，某些动物在特定日子里拥有特殊的能力。土拨鼠便是那些动物之一。牠的特殊之日原先时值 Candlemas，这个节日是在冬天过了一半时庆祝的。尔后，土拨鼠得到了自己专属的节日，现在普苏塔尼‧菲尔就是这天最闪亮的巨星（编按：普苏塔尼‧ 菲尔是一只土拨鼠的名字，他得名于自己所处的小镇，也就是位于美国宾州的普苏塔尼）。

每年的二月二日为土拨鼠节。在这一天，人们会看着菲尔在长长的冬眠后爬出他的洞穴。如果他看到自己的影子，他就会跑回洞里，而冬日气候还不会那么快结束。相反地，这意谓着前头仍然还有六周的严寒气候。如果天气多云，菲尔就不会看到他的影子。因此他便预测大地即将春暖花开。

美国人并不是唯一殷切期盼土拨鼠做出天气预报的民族。在加拿大，威亚顿‧威利负责预测冬日气候何时结束。虽然这样的活动很有趣，不过对于任何人或动物真能了解大自然一事，还有待商榷。