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‘hog Wild in Punxsutawney
December 13, 2010 | 
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Are they crazy about groundhogs in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania? You betcha. The place is lousy with them. Groundhogs adorn homes and businesses like the Baby Jesus does at Christmastime most other places. It happens we were visiting the “Weather Capital of the World” in December and the good people of “Punxy” really know how to inflate a holiday decoration and park it next to a giant fiberglass woodchuck.
Not counting groundhogs (real, wooden, fiberglass, bronze, or welded metal) the town of Punxsutawney has a population of a bit above 6,700. Legend has it that the name came from a defeated Native American sorcerer who was killed in combat. The ashes of his burnt body turned to sand fleas or “Ponksad” and through these lovely fleas he continued his harassment of man. Ponksad-uteney means “The town of the Sand fleas.” We saw neither flea nor sorcerer on this trip, so we’re assuming the town has rid itself of these pests. Or maybe we were just lucky that the vermin weren’t out and about in December.
Like a lot of folks, we learned about Punxsutawney from the movie “Groundhog Day” which celebrates the town’s annual tradition of yanking a large rodent out of a stump so he can predict the weather. This occurs every February 2nd, right smack between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, in a tradition that dates back to the ancient European holiday of Candlemas. Even though both holidays include springtime predictions, the Europeans had yet to discover camping out, tailgating or shadows of furry prognosticators. All they did was look up to see if it was sunny or cloudy and then, as now, sunshine meant six more weeks of winter.
The first whistle pig was held high above the now famous Gobbler’s Knob (heh heh, gobblers, knob) just outside Punxutawney in 1887. It’s doubtful anyone at the time expected this humble knob would become the epicenter of seasonal forecasting. A handful of the top hat bedecked “Inner Circle” of the Groundhog Society are the sole keepers of the long-held secret rituals. Once ensconced amongst the elite few of the circle, an aisle at the local supermarket will bear your name — a high honor indeed.
Our intention was to stay at the Hotel Punxsutawney, but once David started singing “Welcome to the Hotel Punxsutawney–you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave,” we decided not to chance it. We crossed the street to the Pantall Hotel instead. Here they had a Victorian Ladies Entrance, two cans of snuff on the landing and tract on the hotel desk that was kind enough to inform us that we were “going straight to hell” before we even had a chance to check in. Even though they choose to brag about “ironed sheets“ numerous times on their website, ours were not. Why the hell would you iron sheets anyway? The bed was comfy, the people were nice, and the housekeeper was dressed in Amish attire. We don’t believe it was her snuff on the windowsill, but it may just be that we are ignorant of the ways of the Amish.
The desk clerk seemed genuinely surprised that we might want to eat dinner on a Sunday night. He dubiously suggested the sports bar at the Hotel Punxsutawney as the only open place in town. Oh-Kay. The place was occupied by a few down-on-their-luck patrons eating peanuts off of paper plates (a second one was provided for shells). Our bartender, Christine, assured us that business picked up around eleven once “the hunters came in after drinking all day.“ The menu was basic freezer to deep fryer, but we lucked out with some delicious burgers and chicken wings (sometimes meat avoiding is impossible, but carrots and celery were provided). In Punxy, the wings come as whole large fellas, no “drumettes” here. Hot means hot. And a dozen was WAY too much.
With a little schmoozing, Christine allowed us to view (but not sample, as it was part of a collection of the annual releases) some “Groundhog Brew”– the beer favorite of most of the Inner Circle. Another local favorite is a “Gobblers Knob” — Groundhog Brew with brown whiskey. After dinner we shot a few games of pool with the locals and bugged out of there before the drunken hunters came in and shot us because we weren’t wearing day-glow orange.
On the way back to The Pantall, we went for a romantic walk through the Tree Circle in the town square to see the beautifully lit trees decorated by local schools and community groups. Hand in hand, we wondered in the crisp winter air when suddenly a sharp screech broke the silent night. We spun around just in time to see a jolly family of chucks dashing back into their hole on the top of the tree-clock-glockenspiel in front of the Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge across the street. It was ten o’clock.
Breakfast the next day at the hotel restaurant further impressed us with its décor of either very homey or garage sale chic. David’s mug said “Class of 2001.” Veronica’s: “Happy Birthday.” The breakfast was hearty, the coffee excellent and the waitress funny and attentive.
With our bellies full, we ventured out to see the town by the light of a grey winter day. Our first stop was the town library where the famous woodchuck himself resides. Punxsutawney Phil and his “wife” Phyllis spend everyday but the big one in their climate controlled den which can be viewed from outside or inside the library.
The next stop was The Wizard’s Workshop and it turned out to be a must-see. The proprietor, Randy “The Wizard“ Rupert, is an ice sculpting champion and now uses the same chainsaw technique on various sized parts of trees. With our usual snarky attitude, we entered past the sign that read “What ‘wood’ you like for Christmas” and “Come see what I saw” expecting a hoot but instead walked into a true master’s den. Oh, the joys we found there. Randy, the only true link we found to the movie, was the guy who taught Bill Murray how to pretend ice sculpt. The angelic ice carving in the movie is his, ditto the electric chainsaw Bill used for the movie. The saw is prominently displayed in the store along with a VCR tape and poster of the celebrated flick. The most charming aspect of the workshop is Randy himself, who jawed with us for quite sometime about his art, the movie and the town itself.
The perfect ending to our trip came with a visit to Gobbler’s Knob. Just follow the whistle pig prints up Woodland Avenue to the weather forecasting center of the world. In December, it’s a lonely place–but the impression of the grandeur of the February 2nd celebration is there. The Knob is festooned with signs and art dedicated to the most famous seer of them all, Punxsutawney Phil, including the greeting “Can you believe it… we’re at Gobblers Knob.” There are sculptures of Phil portraying the various diversions he participates in his off season, including motorcycling. Unlike Santa, he does not have career obligations outside of his holy day, so Phil apparently has many hobbies.
As we walked back to the car, we discussed coming back for Groundhog Day, but decided that we saw Punxsutawney in its true form — small, homey, cheerful, and with a great sense of humor about itself. To a GypsyNester, life doesn’t get better than that.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
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Christmas season celebrations in Australia
Christmas season celebrations in Australia
Violet Teague (1872-1951), Adoration of Shepherds, 1931, oil on canvas. Photograph by Colin Holden. Image courtesy of Anglican Church of Australia Archive.
Christmas is celebrated in many parts of the world on 25 December. Protestant and Roman Catholic churches hold Christmas Day services on 25 December. The Eastern churches – the Ethiopian Orthodox church, Russian Orthodox church and the Armenian church – celebrate Christmas on 6 or 7 January. There have been rituals, parties and celebrations at this time of year for thousands of years.
The birth of Jesus
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is ‘the son of God’, the Messiah sent from Heaven to save the world.
The ‘Christmas story’ tells of the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, the angels announcing the birth to the shepherds in the fields, and the Magi (wise men from the East) visiting the stable and offering gifts to the newborn child.
The origins of Christmas
A Roman almanac confirms that 25 December was used to celebrate Christmas in 336 AD, although it was nearly 600 years later that the churches created a liturgy – a service for public worship – for the occasion.
The choice of date is believed to have been influenced by the northern hemisphere winter solstice, as well as ancient pagan rituals that coincided with the solstice. These rituals included the Halcyon Days in Greece, a period of calm and goodwill when it was believed the sea was calm for birds to lay their eggs; and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a celebration of the god Saturn, which involved wild parties, the exchange of gifts and the temporary suspension of social divisions between slaves and masters.
Christmas traditions and symbols
A photo of Santa arriving at the beach by boat. Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia: A1500, K26950.
Christmas trees are part of a long tradition of greenery being taken into the home at Christmas to brighten the dreary winter. Mistletoe was popular with Druid priests because it remained green throughout winter. Holly placed over the doorway was believed to drive away evil. Placing branches from trees in the home was first recorded in 1494, and by the beginning of the 1600s there are records of fir trees being decorated with apples.
The story of Santa Claus has its origins in the legends surrounding the humble generosity of Saint Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on 6th December. Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Christian Bishop from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) who became the Patron Saint of Children. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed up as bishops begging alms for the poor. Later, the Christ child ‘Christkindlein’ was said to have accompanied Nicholas-like figures on their travels. The 1822 poem ‘Twas the Night before Christmas forged the link and Saint Nicholas (Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Christ Kind, Kriss Kringle or Sinter Klass) became known as Santa Claus.
Christmas in the southern hemisphere
The heat of early summer in Australia has an impact on the way that Australians celebrate Christmas and on which northern hemisphere Christmas traditions are followed.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas houses are decorated; greetings cards sent out; carols sung; Christmas trees installed in homes, schools and public places; and children delight in anticipating a visit from Santa Claus. On Christmas Day family and friends gather to exchange gifts and enjoy special Christmas food.
Many Australians spend Christmas out of doors, going to the beach for the day, or heading to camping grounds for a longer break over the Christmas holiday period. It has become traditional for international visitors who are in Sydney at Christmas time to go to Bondi Beach where up to 40,000 people visit on Christmas Day.
Carols and music
Christmas tree in Martin Place, Sydney 2005. File photograph. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.
The tradition of an Australian Christmas Eve carol service lit by candles was started in 1937 by radio announcer Norman Banks. This outdoor service has now been held in Melbourne every year since then.
Carols by Candlelight events today range from huge gatherings, which are televised live throughout the country, to smaller local community and church events. Sydney’s Carols in the Domain has become a popular platform for the stars of stage and music.
Some uniquely Australian Christmas carols have become popular and are included alongside the more traditional carols sung at carol services and at Christmas church services: John Wheeler’s The Three Drovers is perhaps the best known of these.
Many light-hearted Australian Christmas songs have become an essential part of the Australian Christmas experience. These include Rolf Harris’s Six White Boomers, Colin Buchanan’s Aussie Jingle Bells and the Australian Twelve Days of Christmas.
Christmas plants
Denise Greig, Blandfordia nobilis – Christmas bells. Image courtesy of Australian National Botanic Gardens: A6952.
There are many native Australian plants in flower over the Christmas season. A number of these have become known as ‘Christmas plants’ in various parts of the country, including Christmas bells, Christmas bush and the Christmas orchid.
When Europeans first arrived in Australia they were delighted that they could pick wildflowers resembling bells and bright green foliage covered in red or white flowers to use as Christmas decorations. This was a huge contrast to the bare trees and dormant gardens they had left behind in Europe.
Food
Christmas in Australia comes at the beginning of summer and many people no longer serve a traditional hot roast dinner. Cold turkey and ham, seafood and salads are often served instead. It has even become acceptable to serve the traditional Christmas plum pudding with cold custard, ice cream or cream. Pavlova, a meringue base topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, and various versions of the festive ice-cream pudding have also become popular Christmas desserts.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Coles company are engaged in a project to cultivate native foods. They are working with Mandawuy Yunupingu (of the band Yothu Yindi) and Aboriginal communities to grow sufficient quantities for sale in supermarkets across Australia. The aim is to offer all Australians a Bush Tucker Christmas.
Film and television
Cover of Wombat Divine by Mem Fox. Image courtesy of Mem Fox.
The films Bush Christmas (1947) starring Chips Rafferty and the remake Prince and the Great Race in 1983 (with Nicole Kidman), and Miracle Down Under starring John Waters (telecast as Bushfire Moon) are insights into the early Australian Christmas culture. Many television series have used Christmas episodes to explore the changing culture of Christmas in Australia.
Children’s stories
Australian children grow up enjoying traditional Christmas stories such as Clement Clarke Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but children’s authors and illustrators are beginning to create truly Australian children’s Christmas literature. One favourite is Wombat Divine by Mem Fox, while a more recent addition is Aussie Night Before Christmas by Yvonne Morrison.
Major sporting events
The Christmas break is an opportunity for sports fans to enjoy two major sporting events. The 26 December is the opening day of the ‘Boxing Day Test’ between the Australian Cricket Team and an international touring side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This has been well attended since the first match in 1950, and watched by many others on television. In Sydney one of the world’s most prestigious ocean races, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, starts on Boxing Day from Sydney Harbour.
Indigenous Australians
A. Shnukal, Celebrating the Coming of the Light at Kemus on the anniversary of the arrival of the London Missionary Society on 1 July 1871. Darnley Island, Torres Strait. Image courtesy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland.
Indigenous Dreamtime stories obviously do not include Christmas. However, this date in the calendar coincides with other seasonal changes. In Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Yolngu Aboriginal people will observe the last season of their six-season cycle. Gudjewg, the wet season, begins in late December.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities include Christian groups within them which celebrate Christmas. The Ntaria Choir at Hermannsburg, via Alice Springs, Northern Territory, has a unique musical language from mixing the traditional vocals of the Ntaria women with Lutheran chorales – the hymn tunes that were the basis of much of J.S. Bach’s music.
Baba Waiyar, a popular traditional Torres Strait Islander hymn, is featured on Lexine Solomon’s debut album This is Woman (2003) – showing the influence of gospel music mixed with traditionally strong Torres Strait Islander vocals and country music. Significantly, Torres Strait Islanders celebrate the ‘Coming of the Light’ on 1 July, the day the London Missionary Society landed at Erub Island in 1871.
Modern Indigenous Christmas celebrations are beginning to take on elements of traditional Indigenous culture. The Department of Conservation and Land Management in Western Australia offers a Christmas celebration by organising activities which encourages people to join in Christmas bush activities with Nyoongar guides.
http://www.b2c-battery.com.au
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1. Christmas trees were first lighted with actual candles, which presented a fire hazard. As a result containers filled with water had to be kept near the Christmas tree.
2. Workers in the construction industry are responsible for the tradition of having a Christmas tree on display at Rockefeller Center in New York City. They are credited with placing an undecorated tree at the site in the early 1930s.
3. Since the mid-1960s, The National Christmas Tree Association has maintained a presence in the White House at Christmas by donating a Christmas tree to the First Family.
4. The former Woolworth department store first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments in 1880.
5. Plastic became the primary material used to make tinsel after their use for decorative purposes was at one time prohibited because lead was used in the manufacturing process.
6. The idea of Christmas greeting cards started in Britain in the late 1830s when John Calcott Horsley started to produce small cards that had festive scenes and a holiday greeting written inside. Similar cards were also being made in the United States at about the same time by R.H. Pease, in Albany, New York, and Louis Prang, who was a German immigrant. The idea of sending the greeting cards during Christmas gained popularity in both countries about 10 years later when new postal delivery services started.
7. The shortened form Xmas for Christmas has been popular in Europe since the 1500s. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word ‘Xristos’ which means Christ.
8. According to the National Confectioners Association, for 200 years candy canes were only made in the color of white and it wasn’t until in the 1950s that a machine was invented that could automate the production of candy canes.
9. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in England and it is a national holiday. Several stories exist for the origination of the name. It is believed to have originated from the practice of boys who would be about collecting money in clay boxes. Another thought is that the term is derived from a custom in the Middle Ages, about 800 years ago, when churches would open their ‘alms boxes’ and distribute the contents to poor people on the day after Christmas. Alms boxes are boxes in which donations of gifts and money would be placed. Yet another belief is that it comes from a custom of masters giving their servants Christmas presents in boxes on the day after Christmas.
10. Evergreen trees had special meaning in winter to people, particularly in Europe, before Christianity started. Ancient peoples would hang evergreen branches over their doors and windows because evergreens were believed to ward off witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. For worshipers of the sun god, evergreen plants were a reminder of all the green plants that would grow with the return of summer and the sun god being strong again.
11. In ancient times, many people worshiped the sun as a god in December because they thought winter occurred yearly because the sun god had fallen into ill health. They therefore celebrated the winter solstice because it was a sign that the son god would begin to regain strength and return to good health.
12. Legislators in Congress did business on Christmas Day in 1789, which was the first one to be observed under the country’s new constitution. The reason for the Congressional session was because it had become unpopular then to observe and take part in English customs following the American Revolution. And when Christmas celebrations were barred in Boston earlier in 1659 to 1681, it became a costly thing to be seen participating in any event or activity related to Christmas. Anyone caught doing so had to pay five shillings.
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