Tri-go Gormandize Redux

[+Kordite]

Tradition holds that Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow (as he did this morning) prognosticates that we will suffer a more wintery 6 weeks.

 

Well, we haven't exactly been suffering as the northeast has been having the warmest January on record. (Particularly welcome to my home heating bills.) But in the German farming tradition from which Groundhog Day comes, 6 more weeks of winter is actually more welcome than an early spring. Six more weeks of winter means 6 more weeks of snow and 6 more weeks of water in the soil for the planting of crops once spring comes.

 

Groundhog's Day marks the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox and thus marks 6 weeks until spring so whether Phil sees his shadow or not is astononomically irrelevant.

 

In ancient times, the Vernal Equinox, the date of equal day and night and the first day of Spring, was celebrated as the official beginning of the New Year. To the Indians, this was the eight day feast of Huli, the last day of which was celebrated by sending people on fruitless errands. In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk". Around here, it's the Snipe hunt.

 

All this is leading up to the declaration that April Fools Day is Tri-Go's "official" holiday.

 

And to celebrate that holiday, we gather annually to to the express and singular purpose of consuming mass quantities of food.

 

This particular iteration will again be at:

Hoss's Steak and Sea House

11675 Frankstown Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235

N40 28.010 W79 49.619

Saturday April 1st, 6:00pm

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=gct8nt

[+Medic005]

My calendar is marked, hope to make it!