Happy Groundhog Day!
As far as I know, Daniel Rebour--who made the drawing of the early Deore crankset in this illustration--never drew an image of Punxsutawney Phil.
Then again, the French (at least as far as I know) don't celebrate Groundhog Day. On the other hand, until recently, they--like other predominantly-Catholic countries--observed Candlemas, a holiday that falls on the same day, exactly 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple.
(Actually, I remember going to Mass on that day when I was a kid. I don't recall whether it was actually a day of obligation or one of those days when you kinda sorta oughta go to church.)
As with many other Catholic/Christian holidays, it coincides with another holiday that preceded the Church. In much of Europe, a feast occured on or about that day to celebrate the winter harvest and commemorate the mid-point of winter.
The French, being the French, made this day about food. (That's one of the things I love about the French.) They still call it "La Chandeleur" (Candlemas), but the real "point" of the day is to--are you ready for this?--eat crepes.
Now there's a holiday I can get with. Of course, simply eating one of those tasty treats won't do: There are all sorts of rituals and superstitions around it. As an example, in some parts of the country, you have to hold a coin in your right hand while flipping it with the left--or simply place a coin on top of the crepe while cooking it. L'argent is for good luck.
Oh, there is one parallel between Groundhog Day and La Chandeleur: People believe that if it rains that day, there will be another 40 days of unsavory weather, while bright and sunny skies mean that winter is almost over.
Hmm...If Punxsutawney Phillippe finds a crepe when he pokes his head out of the ground, what does that mean?
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| From More On Cycling |
As far as I know, Daniel Rebour--who made the drawing of the early Deore crankset in this illustration--never drew an image of Punxsutawney Phil.
Then again, the French (at least as far as I know) don't celebrate Groundhog Day. On the other hand, until recently, they--like other predominantly-Catholic countries--observed Candlemas, a holiday that falls on the same day, exactly 40 days after Christmas and commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple.
(Actually, I remember going to Mass on that day when I was a kid. I don't recall whether it was actually a day of obligation or one of those days when you kinda sorta oughta go to church.)
As with many other Catholic/Christian holidays, it coincides with another holiday that preceded the Church. In much of Europe, a feast occured on or about that day to celebrate the winter harvest and commemorate the mid-point of winter.
The French, being the French, made this day about food. (That's one of the things I love about the French.) They still call it "La Chandeleur" (Candlemas), but the real "point" of the day is to--are you ready for this?--eat crepes.
Now there's a holiday I can get with. Of course, simply eating one of those tasty treats won't do: There are all sorts of rituals and superstitions around it. As an example, in some parts of the country, you have to hold a coin in your right hand while flipping it with the left--or simply place a coin on top of the crepe while cooking it. L'argent is for good luck.
Oh, there is one parallel between Groundhog Day and La Chandeleur: People believe that if it rains that day, there will be another 40 days of unsavory weather, while bright and sunny skies mean that winter is almost over.
Hmm...If Punxsutawney Phillippe finds a crepe when he pokes his head out of the ground, what does that mean?
