Charlotte Shields-Rossi | a&e editor

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — As the sun rose on a snowy Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil hesitantly made his way out of his den. Speaking in “groundhogese” — a mix of winks, chirps, nods and purrs — he led Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel to the scroll that would predict the weather.

“It is my job this Feb. 2, to look to the skies and report back to you that there is a shadow here on my ground, six more weeks of winter abound,” said Dan McGinley, vice president of the club, while reading the scroll.

His prognostication was met with both cheers and boos from the crowd of 30,000 people on Monday.

Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the weather for 140 years, being kept alive by a special “groundhog punch.”

Jotham Parsons, history professor at Duquesne University, said the history of Groundhog Day relates back to the 19th century.

The holiday traces its roots back to Candlemas Day, celebrated on Feb. 2, a holiday where Christians would take candles to the church to have them blessed, which they believed would bring favor to their household for the remainder of winter. It was then mixed with the Germanic tradition that believes you can predict the weather based on a hibernating animal seeing its shadow or not.

Badgers and hedgehogs were commonly used as the weather forecasters, but when German settlers came to the United States they found an absence of those animals. Instead, they landed on groundhogs, which Pennsylvania has an abundant population of.

“They had a big get together and a picnic and had all their groundhogs come out of the ground,” Parsons said.

As time went on, the tradition grew and Punxsutawney became the home of Groundhog day. The 1993 film “Groundhog Day” added to the popularity of the holiday leading to an influx of tourism in the city.

“It was like this kind of weird folkloric thing that was taken up by the town of Punxsutawney,” Parsons said.

The holiday has evolved since its origins in the 19th century, gaining in popularity and pageantry.

Now the festivities start at 3 a.m., with continuous entertainment until 5 p.m. Musical performances include parodies of popular songs like “Gangnam Style” (“Groundhog Style”) and “Rattlin’ Bog” ( “Rattlin’ Hog”). The stage is equipped with pyrotechnics, speakers, a confetti cannon and fireworks.

The crowd was rowdy — dancing, singing and chanting “early spring” or “six more weeks.” Some people held up signs that said “I love Phil,” others tailgated the event, indulging in alcoholic beverages.

Josh Matson, also known as “Dogmatic Live Art,” was one of tens of thousands of people that came to celebrate Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. In the crowd, he set up a canvas and easel to paint the scene.

Wiping his paintbrushes on his trench coat, he said that he loved the holiday because it gives the world something to believe in.

“[I like] the ridiculousness of this idea and then the commitment to the mythology of that absurdity,” Matson said.

Matson has been making the trip to Gobbler’s Knob for 13 years, always painting the scenery live. This year he drew the fireworks and flames from the large bonfire.

“This is my holiday,” he said. “I will work any other day of the year, but I’m going to Groundhog Day.”

Ryann Wilcox drove two hours from Jamestown, New York, to Gobbler’s Knob. The temperature dropped to single digits so she prepared by wearing layers of clothes, but she still had to huddle around the large bonfire for warmth.

This year marked the second time she had participated in the Groundhog Day festivities. Although she did not want six more weeks of winter, watching people cheering in excitement for Phil’s prediction is her favorite part.

Taylor Spontaneo, who accompanied Wilcox to Gobbler’s Knobb, originally thought Phil would predict an early spring.

Like many others, both Wilcox and Spontaneo had special hats of a stuffed animal version of Phil.

Despite the cold, the pair enjoyed the festivities.

“[I like] seeing all the people come together for Phil,” Spontaneo said.

Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle Member Rob Gemmell’s favorite part of the holiday is seeing a community of people travel to rally around Phil.

The Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle is a group of local appointed dignitaries that carry out the responsibilities needed for each year’s event. They wear tuxedos and top hats as a sign of respect to Punxsutawney Phil.

Gemmell, nicknamed “Storm Builder,” is in charge of ground security and maintenance. This is his fourth year as a part of the club, but he is a third-generation member.

“My great grandfather and my grandfather [were] also in the Groundhog Club, and my grandfather was president for 13 years,” Gemmell said.

Gemmell had been awake for a full 24 hours, but still walked around and took pictures with fans.

“It’s such a big community, it’s enjoyable. It’s fun to meet people from far away to travel to be in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter,” Gemmell said.

Charlotte Shields-Rossi can be reached at shieldsrossic@duq.edu