This year's February will bring not only the day of all lovers, but also the traditional "meteorological" holiday - the day of the grandmother. On February 2, millions of people in the US, Canada and some European countries will again pay attention to a small fluffy rodent to find out when to wait for spring heat.
How does the grandmother predict the weather?
Grandma's Day is a kind of folk prediction of the weather that goes back to ancient Rome. Hedgehogs were used to do this, and later the tradition was transformed: in Germany, predictions were entrusted to the Borsuk, and in the US and Canada - to the grandmothers.
The prognosis takes place in a simple scheme:
- Granny gets out of the hole;
- if it sees its shadow - it turns to sleep, which means six weeks of winter;
- If there is no shadow - spring will not slow down.
According to the irony of fate, the sunny day heralds the long winter, and the gloomy - early warming.
How do they celebrate a grandmother's Day?
In the US, this holiday has become almost national. Fireworks, parades and numerous televisions create an atmosphere of a real festival. The main event is unfolding in the town of Panksaton, Pennsylvania, where the most famous grandmother-forecast-Panksathon Phil works.
However, not everyone rejoices in this tradition: zoos emphasize that a sharp awakening is a stress for the animal, and call for a more humane approach.
Hollywood influence: why is Babak Day Day a movie term?
The world's popularity was brought by the cult comedy "Babak Day" (1993) . In the movie, journalist Phil Connor (Bill Murray) gets stuck in the temporal loop and is forced to live on February 2 again and again until it changes.
It was thanks to this film that Babak's Day was synonymous with monotony, routine and recurring situations.
Is Grandma Day in Ukraine?
Yes, and even has its "meteorologists". The weather in Ukraine was usually predicted by the Lviv grandparents Marusya and Misha, as well as their Kharkiv colleague Timko.
After 2023, Timko, who survived the occupation of Kharkiv region, became the main Ukrainian gun-synoptyk. His forecast is looking forward to this year.
So on February 2, all the views will be turned to the grandmothers. Whether spring will come earlier, whether you have to wait six weeks - the shadow of fluffy meteorologists will show!
