Six more weeks of snow, sub-zero temperatures and chilling winds are what to expect if groundhogs see their shadows on Groundhog's Day Sunday.
Superstition says if the sun is shining and the groundhog sees its shadow, it will be frightened back into its hole and there will be six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring will come early.
Jimmy the groundhog, from Sun Prairie, Wis., has seen his shadow the past two years.
\I think we are going to have more winter, but he won't see his shadow,"" UW-Madison freshman Rebecca Doran said.
Sun Prairie, a city northeast of Madison, has been declared the ""Groundhog Capitol of the World"" and has been celebrating the holiday for more than 50 years.
""Jimmy the Groundhog arrives in a limousine, escorted by a fire truck. The mayor, JoAnn Orfan, will speak, and the governor's Groundhog Day Proclamation will be read. Birthday cake will be served for Feb. 2 birthdays and local groups will provide the morning's entertainment,"" said Project Coordinator Lara Natzke.
Jimmy is featured on his own cookbook, autographed photos, stickers, balloons and other groundhog merchandise.
Natzke expects about 1,000 people to be present for Jimmy's prediction, scheduled for 7:10 a.m. Sunday.
When Wisconsin celebrated its Centennial in 1948, various cities were appointed holidays to commemorate.
""Sun Prairie was chosen to commemorate Groundhog's Day because groundhogs live on prairie,"" Natzke said.
A rivalry has grown between Sun Prairie's Jimmy and Phil of Punxsutawney, Pa., when in 1955 Wisconsin Congressman Glen Davis declared that Sun Prairie groundhogs are ""legitimate."" This declaration as was recorded in the Congressional Record, as was the response from the Punxsutawney congressman.
Punxsutawney is now known as the ""Weather Capitol of the World.""
Feb. 2 has played host to many different holidays in different countries over the years.
It falls on Candlemas Day, which was celebrated as the beginning of spring by early Christians in Europe. Pagan festivals also fell near Feb. 2.
It also marks a midpoint between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March.
The Chinese New Year is Feb. 1 this year and celebrates the coming of spring.
""The Chinese word for 'upside down' rhymes with the word for 'to arrive.' We hang the good-luck character upside down in hopes that spring will come, it is a play on words,"" UW-Madison junior Evelyn Lee said. ""Hopefully the groundhog will see that spring will come early.""
As currently predicted, Sunday's forecast is cloudy with a chance of snow or rain. So it looks as though Jimmy will not see his shadow and spring will come early. However there is still time for the weather to change.
