Groundhog Day

Today is the 2nd February and that can only mean one thing if you are a Bill Murray fan: it’s Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day is something of a tradition that is celebrated in the United States and Canada stemming from Pennsylvania Dutch (immigrants from German-speaking areas of Europe) tradition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees a shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will carry on for another 6 weeks. If the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow then spring will come early.

What happened today in Pennsylvania? Well, 02.02.19 groundhog Punxsutawney Phil “predicted” an early spring!

The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, centering around a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, is seen in the brilliantly funny film Groundhog Day. In this comic masterpiece, Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an arrogant and self-absorbed weather reporter who is sent to Punxsutawney to report on the annual celebrations of the local groundhog.

He then gets stuck in a time-loop where he wakes up at 06:00 every day and the same day is repeated over and over again. He soon realises that it doesn’t matter what he does in the day, he wakes up the next day unharmed and relives the same day once more. It’s a concept we love!

After coming to terms with the idea that he is fated to re-live the same day for all eternity, Phil Connors starts to use the time to live each day differently and do things he wouldn’t normally do.

Some say it is a “profound work of metaphysics” with surprising depth that sheds light on the dark places in our lives – and they’d be right! Thanks to the film, saying you are having a “Groundhog Day” is now a common reference to a situation (normally unpleasant)  that seems to repeat itself over and over again. It is a much-loved film and unsurprisingly, Groundhog Day is also a musical.

If ever you feel like you are on a treadmill and each day is the same, watch Groundhog Day and live differently!