Has famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania seen his shadow today?

Will it be another 6 weeks of winter or not? I’m not telling. I did wake up early this morning to watch the live cam cast (EST) from Gobbler’s Knob. Temperature was 36 degrees F.

Click on their official website to find out:

http://www.groundhog.org/

Also check out that website for lots of great photos of their annual Groundhog Day event as well. Wish I could attend someday….but how do you get to Punxsutawney?

From their press kit:

BACKGROUND
European Roots
• The custom dates back to the early days of Christianity in Europe and grew out of a winter festival called Candlemas Day, a day for clergy to bless and distribute candles. According to legend, clear skies on Candlemas Day meant an extended winter.
• The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this tradition to the Germans, who concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather or “Second Winter.”
• In Germany, the hedgehog became part of the legend. The German twist was that on a clear, sunny day, the hedgehog would cast a shadow.

Happy Groundhog Day!

A German Weihnachtsmarkt is actually coming to Tucson this weekend (December 4th), just in time for St. Nicholas Day on Monday.

Weihnachtsmarkt is a German Christmas Market (German baked goods and other specialties, Christmas tree decorations, crafts, activities for kinder (kids), German Christmas songs and instrumental music, raffle prizes). Free admission to this 1st annual event, 5 to 8 p.m.

Where: Desert Sky Community School
122 North Craycroft (campus of Rincon Congregational Church)
http://www.desertskycommunityschool.org/
(520) 745-3888

Desert Sky is a “public charter school inspired by Waldorf Education nurturing grades K-5 for the 2010/2011 school year.” It is “based on the child development theories of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, and will consider the whole child, including the academic, aesthetic, social, and emotional development of the student. A classic academic education is integrated with the arts and music at all grade levels.”

Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas in German).

And if you want to start earlier in the day (11 a.m.) drive up to Mesa for their Christkindlmarkt:

I just found out that German is the 4th most spoken language in Arizona, following English (official), Spanish, and Navajo. It is taught at the University of Arizona (bachelor’s and master’s levels, with a Ph.D. in Transcultural German), and at Pima Community College (bachelor’s degree) at three campuses: Downtown, West, and Northwest.

The German language is also taught at least at eight high schools in Tucson: Amphi, Canyon del Oro, Cholla, Empire, Flowing Wells, Mountain View, Rincon, and University High.

On the elementary school level, I believe the only offering in bilingual German/English is at the private, well renowned International School of Tucson, at 1730 N. First Ave. Ages taught at that school are 3 to 11.

German Americans were some of the earliest immigrants to America, and now comprise 17% (2000 census) of the U.S. population, over 51 million people. But that probably doesn’t account for inter-marriage, prevalant nowadays.

German is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, parts of America, and a little in Luxembourg, Alsace and Lorraine (both in France), a little in Denmark, a solid group in Romania and Russia, and in southern Brazil, Peru, and Argentina.

I myself am married to a Native German professor and it has opened up my world to an appreciation of the German language and culture. I’ve audited German 101 and 102 at the University of Arizona (German Studies Dept.), and have studied German informally as well.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ja, ein bisschen.
(Do you speak German? Yes, a little).