# Groundhog Day

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 24, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621 "2008-04-24T00:14:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621/1 "2008-04-24T00:14:32Z")

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link: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_054.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_054.html)

When I was growing up in Ontario, we learned that if the groundhog saw his shadow, it meant six more weeks of winter. This was seen as a bad thing.

Now that I live in Calgary, if a groundhog sees his shadow it still means six more weeks of winter. But this is celebrated.

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621/2 "2008-04-24T10:42:38Z")

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That’s just realism in action! 😃  
Try growing up in Southern California, where the whole concept was quite silly, yet we were as interested in Groundhog Day as anyone… :eek:

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**Author:** ![Tbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Tbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tbert)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621/3 "2008-04-25T01:36:38Z")

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Of course there is six more weeks of winter if the groundhog sees his shadow. There six more weeks if he doesn’t.

It’s called the Vernal Equinox, dudes, and it comes just over six weeks after Groundhog Day.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621/4 "2008-04-25T10:33:05Z")

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[QUOTE=Tbert]  
Of course there is six more weeks of winter if the groundhog sees his shadow. There six more weeks if he doesn’t.

It’s called the Vernal Equinox, dudes, and it comes just over six weeks after Groundhog Day.  
[/QUOTE]

You already told me that yesterday.

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groundhog-day/446621/5 "2008-04-25T16:06:20Z")

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Except, of course, that the equinoxes, _per se,_ have little or nothing to do with bounding the seasons. See the Bad Astronomer’s [Misconceptions: The seasons begin at the time of the solstice or equinox.](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/badseasons.html)