Groundhog Day
On February, 2nd in the USA and Canada the national holiday - Day of a marmot is annually celebrated. According to superstition, this day it is necessary to watch closely a marmot who is getting out of the hole to learn, when there will come spring. If the marmot sees the shade - i.e. if day solar, - the marmot hides back in a hole, and the winter will proceed even six weeks. If the small animal does not see the shade - i.e. day cloudy, - the spring will be early. This day the attention of all world is chained to the well-known marmot of Filu from pennsylvania the cities of Panksatoni. The glory has come to it in 1993, after an exit on film screens “Day of a marmot” with Bill Mjurrejem and Andy MakDauel in leading roles. In 1997 to look at Fila has arrived 35 thousand persons - in 5 times more, than the population of all cities of district Jefferson.
The sluggard, the navvy, the sleepyhead… Surok Fil living on Indjushinom to a hill of a place of Panksatoni - the very first official marmot-meteorologist. It belongs to a kind of wood marmots (Marmota monax).
They are small animals in the size about 40 sm and it is powerful 4-6 kg, with a fluffy tail. Marmots of usually reddish or krasnovato-brown colour, with a dark head and cheeks, black paws and a white stain about a nose. At these animals short, but the powerful paws adapted for digging of holes where they also spend the most part of the life. On a site where the marmot lives, holes can be much that in case of danger to be in time in any to hide. In case of danger it can get even on a tree. In the summer favourite pastime of a marmot - lying right in the sun. It is often possible to see these small animals, standing a column. In bondage of these small animals contain seldom. But manual marmots become attached to the owner, distinguish it from others. In medieval Europe teenagers with manual marmots amused public at fairs, forcing them to rise a column, to squat, swarm up feet. A song “And my marmot with me” - from those times. Speak:” Sleeps as a marmot “, and this comparison is quite defensible. So, the American wood marmot sleeps 4-5 months. The further on the north, the longer and more deeply hibernation of a marmot.
The role of the weather forecaster has got to a North American marmot in the inheritance from other animals also running into hibernation: a hedgehog which day was marked in Ancient Rome, and a badger whom natives of Northern Germany, lodged in Pennsylvania, considered as the prophet of weather. Day was considered on February, 2nd intermediate between a winter solstice and a spring equinox, and in Europe marked Candlemas - “a holiday of candles”. By tradition, at a dawn peasants with candles in hands went to wood and awoke the animals who have run into hibernation to define, how long the winter still will last. To the middle of 80th years of a XIX-th century Day of a marmot was only a sign, but on February, 2nd, 1886 in Panksatoni in the local newspaper there was a playful note:” Today Day of a marmot, and, it agree to the data received by our correspondents, the small animal has not seen the shade. Means, soon there will come spring “. In article the best place where the marmot of Fil most precisely forecasts the weather, - Indjushachja a hill on suburb a city also has been specified. Next year on February, 2nd the whole crowd of the local residents, thirsting to learn weather forecast there has gathered. Then the editor of city news of Klajmer Fris, besides for fun, declared creation панксатонского Club of a marmot. In the beginning of 1888 for a marmot have constructed a small house on Indjushachej to a hill, whence it to this day and the clubmen dressed in tuxedos and cylinders pull out everyone on February, 2nd.
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