Toyota of Plano wants to wish you a happy Groundhog Day! Today’s holiday has roots in an old Germanic tradition used to predict an early spring or a prolonged winter. In this tradition animals that hibernate during the winter were used to determine when spring was arriving. This method came from the understanding that these animals awake from their hibernation when spring arrives.
While today we are familiar with the use of groundhogs for this tradition, bears were the original animal used to predict weather, but due to dwindling numbers of bears in the region, badgers were used as a substitute. Eventually this tradition was brought to the United States with German-speaking immigrants, and this is when the groundhog was introduced to this holiday. But unlike badgers, groundhogs will return to their burrows on sunny days. This characteristic of the groundhog was adopted into the superstition, and now when a groundhog is said to have seen their shadow, on February 2nd, it’s believed that we will have six more weeks of winter.
Today, Punxsutawney Phil - the famous groundhog, based in central Pennsylvania - reportedly saw his shadow. According to superstition, this indicates that we should have at least six more weeks of winter. This news comes in the wake of a major winter storm warning for the DFW metroplex. It’s safe to say that Punxsutawney Phil may have been on to something.
Last year, unfortunately, we saw just how devastating the impact of extreme winter weather can be. This year, Toyota of Plano has pledged to help our customers be better prepared for winter storms, and this is why we are offering a free winter checkup! Contact Toyota of Plano today to ask for any maintenance tips to help prevent costly repairs, time consuming issues, inconveniences, and improve your overall safety through the winter season. We can help schedule your next vehicle service, and we’ll be happy to answer any other questions you have.
Categories:
Social
