Worldwid Marmot Day | M'chelsMusings

Monday, the 2nd of February, 2015 is the 33th day in 2015 and in the 6th calendar week.

General Events:

Groundhog Day 2015
February 2, 2015 in the World

Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

Thousands of years ago when animalism and nature worship were prevalent, people in the area of Europe now known as Germany believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops.

This tradition was brought over to North America, predominantly in Pennsylvania in the United States, where it was the groundhog, not the badger, which makes these “predictions”. According to folklore, if the groundhog will sees its shadow on February 2 it will return to its burrow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not see its shadow, then spring is on the way.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. Other celebrations of note in Pennsylvania take place in Quarryville in Lancaster County, the Anthracite Region of Schuylkill County, the Sinnamahoning Valley and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, notable celebrations occur in the Frederick and Hagerstown areas of Maryland, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Woodstock, Illinois, and among the Amish populations of over twenty states.

The Groundhog Day concept became popular in Canada in 1956 when Wiarton Willie became a household name for his early February “weather predictions”. Wiarton’s Groundhog Day festival grew as Willie’s fame increased. It became one of the largest winter festivals in Bruce County, Canada. There are also other groundhogs in different parts of Canada. For example, Schubenacadie Sam is reportedly the first groundhog in the country to stick its head out on Groundhog Day. Other groundhogs include: Gary the Groundhog in Ontario, Brandon Bob in Manitoba and Balzac Billy in Alberta.

Groundhog Day received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Movies, advertisements, cartoons and other media have portrayed the legendary role of the groundhog in popular culture. The term “Groundhog Day” is a phrase that is sometimes used to express if the same events or actions occur repetitively for a period of time.

Where is Groundhog Day?
Worldwide

World Wetlands Day
February 2, 2015 in the World

World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 02, 2015. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, called Ramsar Convention, on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

http://www.worldwetlandsday.org/

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Rheumatoid Awareness Day
February 2, 2015 in the World

Rheumatoid Awareness Day is observed on February 2, giving people with the chronic illness known as rheumatoid arthritis, or rheumatoid disease, a day of recognition. Because the disease is commonly presumed to be a type of arthritis, awareness is lacking, causing problems with disability accommodations, clinical care, healthcare costs and research funding.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive inflammatory disease causing damage to joint and organ tissues, resulting in severe pain, frequent disability, and increased mortality. For most patients, current treatments neither relieve all symptoms nor assure a healthy future. Remission is rare. Rheumatoid disease affects about one percent of the world’s population, and Mayo Clinic says lifetime risk of the disease is 3.6 percent for women and 1.7 percent for men. A study conducted by Mayo Clinic reported that rheumatoid patients were twice as likely to experience silent heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths.

http://rheum4us.org/

Where is the event?
Worldwid

Marmot Day 2015
February 2, 2015 in Alaska

Marmot Day takes place on February 02, 2015. Marmot Day is an Alaskan holiday established to celebrate marmots and Alaskan culture. Although local festivals have been part and parcel of frontier life for decades, Marmot Day became an official holiday on April 18, 2009, when the 26th Alaska State Legislature officially passed Senate Bill 58.

Where is Marmot Day?
Nationwide Alaska

National Heavenly Hash Day
February 2, 2015 in the USA

The name heavenly hash has been applied to a number of dishes. One variety is a type of fruit salad that sounds very similar to ambrosia (the fruit salad dish). It is also a type of sweet, or candy, made with chocolate, brownies and mini marshmallows. Another type of heavenly hash is an ice cream flavour. Yet another is the heavenly hash cake.

So there are a few things to choose from to celebrate this day. There certainly doesn’t seem to be a definite origin of the name – perhaps a “hash” (coarsely mixed ingredients) that tastes heavenly?

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 2nd February:

1536 – Pedro de Mendoza founds Argentine city of Buenos Aires

1709 – British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a desert island for 5 years, his story inspires “Robinson Crusoe”

1787 – Arthur St. Clair is elected the 9th President of the President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.

1848 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican War; US acquires Texas California, New Mexico & Arizona for $15 million

1852 – 1st British public men’s toilet opens (Fleet St London)

1863 – Samuel Clemens becomes Mark Twain for 1st time

1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.

1901 – Queen Victoria’s funeral takes place.

1906 – Pope encyclical against separation of church & state

1920 – Estonia declares its Independence from Russia (Dorpat Peace)
1920 – Tarto/Dorpat peace treaty: USSR recognizes Estonian independence