Punxsutawney Phil, a one-hundred-and-fourty-year-old groundhog– possibly the most famous rodent of Pennsylvania– saw his shadow on Feb. 2, predicting six more weeks of winter. 

Groundhog Day was first reported in a local paper in 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The event has been celebrated at Gobbler’s Knob, the venue of the rodent-based weather predictions since 1887. 

The celebration in Gobbler’s Knob typically starts at 3 a.m. on Feb. 2, with various events offered on Groundhog Day and the previous day. 

The origins of Groundhog Day started from the Christian tradition of Candlemas Day on Feb. 2, where candles would be blessed and would bring blessings for the remainder of winter. 

Rowan students, for the most part, do not care for Groundhog Day. Most students view the holiday as a forgettable day at the beginning of February. 

Dakota Hewitt, a sophomore advertising major, thinks Groundhog Day is generally a lukewarm holiday. 

“I’m a spring baby, so I’m hoping for no more winter. I don’t know, it’s kind of whatever. [I prefer] something you can decorate for,” said Hewitt. 

Most stores do not sell Groundhog Day decorations, instead focusing on St. Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day. Hewitt brings up a solid point that there is much less commercialization of Groundhog Day than of any other holiday. 

Jocelyn Gano is a senior English major who is deeply skeptical of Punxsutawney Phil and his weather predictions. 

“It’s kind of dumb. I’m not going to lie. Are we really going to trust a groundhog to come up and look at his shadow and see if he’s scared or not? And that’s like what predicts the weather,” said Gano. 

While Gano questions the predictions, another English major, Ella VanCoevering, is a freshman who is upset at the concept of more winter.  

“If that little rat tells us we have more weeks of winter, I’m going to be really mad,” said VanCoevering. 

VanCoevering makes her upset at Phil widely known. Siani Marsh, a senior Africana and world religions double major, takes a much more optimistic opinion of Punxsutawney Phil. Marsh was born in Pennsylvania and holds a special place in her heart for Groundhog Day. 

“I feel like he [Punxsutawney Phil] hasn’t really let us down too many times. I am disappointed by more winter, that’s for sure. I was born in PA, and I feel it’s a really big deal over there,” said Marsh. 

Marsh continued that not only do people need more whimsical holidays and celebrations, but they also need more joy in general, potentially more quirky holiday traditions and celebrations. 

“I think we just need more whimsy, full stop,” said Marsh. 

The popular Bill Murray film, named after the February holiday, Groundhog Day, seems to be the only holiday-based movie for the event. Even so, the plot is mostly focused on the time loop that happens to occur on Groundhog Day. Though after the release of the movie, Groundhog Day became much more popular. 

While student perspectives on Groundhog Day are mixed, leaning generally more negative, there is no sign of Groundhog Day or Punxsutawney Phil stopping in the near future. 

For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]