2nd FEBRUARY PREDICTS THE WEATHER

By Ana Cabido, Luis Pérez, Maeloc Valdés, Iñigo Santos and Camila Lucía Chavez.

• Groundhog Day



• Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria

The groundhog is an animal from North America. It is a small animal of the marmot family. It lives in holes in the ground, it eats wild grasses, berries, crops and insects. It enters into hibernation and lives from two to three years. It’s 40 cm to 60 cm long and it has got thick hair, small ears and a long tail.

The cult of Our Lady of Candelaria (Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria), popularly called La Morenita, celebrates the apparition of the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. She is the patron saint of the Islands and her feast is celebrated on 2nd February.

Groundhog Day. In the U.S.A. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator. According to the old stories the groundhog comes out of its hole on 2nd February for the first time since its hibernation (since winter began). If the groundhog sees its shadow, it is frightened and goes back to its hole. This means that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy, it can’t see its shadow and there will be an early spring.

Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. Our Lady of Candelaria. In Spain. There is a Galician proverb which says: ‘Se a Candelaria chora, o inverno vai fora. Se a Candelaria ri o inverno está por vir’. If Candelaria cries, winter is finishing. If Candelaria smiles, winter is coming.

La Candelaria in Spain and the Groundhog Day in U.S.A are both celebrated on February 2nd and both festivities involves weather prognostication. So, now you know: if it is cloudy or rainy on this day, spring is coming, but if it is sunny, cold winter days will come!