<\/p>\n
Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather-predicting groundhog, will emerge from his burrow on Gobbler\u2019s Knob on Feb. 2, to once again predict if winter will last another six weeks or if spring will arrive early.<\/p>\n
The groundhog has been predicting weather for 127 years. While the average groundhog only lives six to eight weeks, according to the Punxsutawney Phil website, he is given a special drink every summer that gives him seven more years of life.<\/p>\n
The first official Groundhogs day took place in 1887, but the legend can be traced back from Pennsylvania\u2019s earliest settlers, who were German.<\/p>\n
With Groundhogs day being so\u00a0unique and having its roots in German traditions, we are led to the question \u2014 what other unique and interesting holidays are there?<\/p>\n
International Students speak about their own unique holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n President of the international students organization Juan Garcia originally hails from Colombia.<\/p>\n Garcia said Colombia really doesn\u2019t have a holiday like Groundhog day, because \u201cthey don\u2019t have seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n However, there are New Year\u2019s traditions or superstitions that people participate in.<\/p>\n He said there is a superstition that if you wear yellow underwear during New Year’s Eve, then that will bring prosperity and good fortune.<\/p>\n Garcia said another superstition they believe is if you want to travel, you should walk around the block carrying suitcases.<\/p>\n Sinclair student Maksym Gerasimov is originally from Ukraine. He came to the United States a year and a half ago.<\/p>\n He said Ukraine celebrates Women\u2019s Day, taking place on March 8.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge holiday, we buy flowers [for] our teachers, our mothers, our grandmothers, our girlfriends\u2026 all the women \u2014 because this is the day when we cherish them,\u201d Gerasimov said. \u201cMy sister, she\u2019s only three years old, but I\u2019m also trying to implement this idea in her mind that this day, this is her day.\u201d<\/p>\n Rustam Saddatov was born in Russia, but is Turkish. He has lived in the United States for about eight years. When asked about holidays celebrated there, he said there are two major holidays, Ramazan Bayran and Kurban Bayran.<\/p>\n He said Ramazan Bayran occurs after fasting.<\/p>\n \u201cFor three days straight, we celebrate after fasting for a while and we eat sweets or anything we want,\u201d Saddatov said. \u201cKurban Bayran\u2026 that\u2019s a sacrificial day. It\u2019s when you sacrifice a lamb or a cow and [share] the meat to everybody, whoever you know like your family members.\u201d<\/p>\n Nilu Gagan is from India. She has lived in the United States for a year and a half.<\/p>\n \u201cIndia is a country of diversity, so we don\u2019t really celebrate only for Hindu\u2019s or Muslims\u2026we have a lot of holidays,\u201d Gagan said.<\/p>\n Her favorite unique holidays are Uttrayan and Holi.<\/p>\n \u201c[Uttrayan is] the festival of kites\u2026from morning until evening everybody is flying kites\u2026you make snacks and family visits you and friends and neighbors get together,\u201d she said. \u201cHoli is about colors so they all get together and throw colors on each other\u2026on that day anybody can touch you or throw colors on you, you cannot stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather-predicting groundhog, will emerge from his burrow on Gobbler\u2019s Knob on Feb. 2, to once again predict if winter will last another six weeks or if spring will arrive early. The groundhog has been predicting weather for 127 years. 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