By Kirsten Kirtley, Student Reporter
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated every year on Feb. 2 by the United States and Canada.
According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of cold winter in the area.
If the animal does not see his shadow, spring will come early with warm air and clear skies.
Although the holiday can be celebrated anywhere, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, hosts annual Groundhog festivities and has a groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predict the weather. There have been many groundhogs to have the title of weather predictor, and all have been named Punxsutawney Phil.
In the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray, who played Phil Connors, his character and a team of reporters travelled to Punxsutawney to report the Groundhog Day festivities to the public.
The main character’s name plays off the idea of the groundhog.
Because of inclement weather, their stay in Punxsutawney became extended for another evening.
Unbeknown to the members of community and Phil’s crew, Phil began to relive the same day over and over again.
When he first realized his situation, and also realized he could predict the day’s events, he was frustrated and made decisions that only benefited him and not those around him like his crew or the locals.
These decisions only made him more miserable and bitter with his dilemma. He slowly accepts he is trapped forever in the town of Punxsutawney.
After reliving the same day multiple times, he slowly developed feelings for the townspeople and his coworker, Rita.
When he realized he could change the order of events in a positive way for others, he began making the most out of each day, not only for him, but for everyone he came in contact.
On the final day when the alarm clock buzzed, Phil opened his eyes with dread, in anticipation of reliving the same day once more.
To his surprise, he was not alone, and tomorrow had finally arrived, bringing him sweet relief to be able to get on with his life as normal.
Since the release of “Groundhog Day,” several movies have been filmed and released along that same story line.
For example, in “50 First Dates” starring Drew Barrymore, she had an affliction which caused her to relive the same day.
Another movie in which a character relives the same day was “Edge of Tomorrow.”
In this movie, Tom Cruise’s character relived the day of his death.
“Groundhog Day” went on to inspire several movies containing the same plot line of days or events reoccurring over and over again for a character.
Whether it be a dull, mundane day lived over and over or a day of horror and excitement, the plot line has been tweaked and twisted for viewers’ entertainment.