PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. -- Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and that means six more weeks of winter.

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Groundhog Day Festivities

The world's most famous furry forecaster dashed the hopes of thousands assembled in freezing weather Monday by predicting six more weeks of winter in the 118th annual Groundhog Day weather prediction.

Punxsutawney Phil, after a rap on an oak stump roused him from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob, was held up before the crowd and indicated that he had seen his shadow and more winter was in the offing.

Phil even included a topical reference - to the capture of Saddam Hussein, no less - in a proclamation read aloud.

"I'm glad I live in this luxurious burrow on the knob, and not in a dirty, smelly, spider hole like a slob," Phil's proclamation read. "When I come out, I don't want to negotiate; but to just do my job and prognosticate."

The prediction drew boos from thousands who gathered in 17-degree weather early Monday to await the 118th annual weather prediction and who hoped for an early end to the winter doldrums.

Earlier, the spirited crowd, some clad in furry groundhog hats or even full-length costumes, chanted "Phil! Phil! Phil!" after fireworks and a long night of rock music drew to an end and the hour of the ceremony neared.

In the past 118 years, the famous groundhog is reported to have seen his shadow 104 times. The tradition is rooted in a German superstition that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow Feb. 2 - the Christian holiday of Candlemas - winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

Dave Auckland and Mike Winterscheidt, both members of Seattle chapter of the Punxsutawney Phil groundhog club, were only mildly disappointed by the forecast.

"That's just six more weeks of rain for us," Auckland said.

Among the crowd was Renee Hess, whose husband, John, surprised her with her first visit to the chilly ceremony for her 40th birthday.

"I'm a groundhog baby," said Renee, a computer programmer who was using chemical hand-warmers and Punxsutawney Phil earmuffs to ward off the chill. "When I would go to school, my Mom would come out with me to see if I saw my shadow."

Hess was called on stage to be recognized along with about a dozen other "groundhog babies" who came from as far away as New Mexico and Texas.

Art Evans, a deputy sheriff from Philadelphia at the celebration with his wife, Ruth, and his sons Zachary, 10, and Jacob, 7, had taken 135 photos even before 6 a.m. to document the proceedings.

"I'm 38 years old and I've never done this before, and I want to start a family tradition to see Phil every year," he said.

The boys weren't even playing hooky, having gotten an excuse to miss school by researching the event and agreeing to write essays afterward.

Mike and Anne Castledine, a retired couple from Derbyshire, England, caught groundhog fever after seeing the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day," and just wanted to experience it for themselves.

"We were quite hooked once we'd seen the movie," Anne Castledine said Sunday after driving in from New Jersey. Back home, "There's really no knowledge of what it entails," she said.

What Groundhog Day entails is a lot of revelry, although alcohol has been banned from Gobbler's Knob, the site just outside of town where Punxsutawney Phil issues his proclamation. Music and dancing go on all night and the town's population of roughly 6,700 swells considerably.

"We couldn't care less if he sees his shadow," said Bill Cooper, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. "It's a people holiday."

Punxsutawney Phil is perhaps the most watched on Groundhog Day, but he certainly isn't alone among marmot meteorologists. About 165 miles to the southeast, the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge of Quarryville has been forecasting with the animals since 1908, said James E. Pennington, chairman of the board of hibernating governors.

Don Yoder, a University of Pennsylvania professor emeritus of folklore who documents the day's increasing popularity in his 2003 book "Groundhog Day," said more than a dozen states celebrate the day with their own critters, including Dixie Dan in Mississippi, Buckeye Chuck in Ohio and Gen. Beauregard Lee in Georgia.

"It's a secular holiday. It's not religious. It's a fun holiday in between New Year's and Easter," he said. "It's much more important than Valentine's Day."

Related Links:
Groundhog.org
Punxsutawney Phil