VOA慢速英語：土撥鼠日

Here's What's Trending Today.
Pennsylvania’s world famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted six more weeks of winter on Thursday after seeing his shadow.

賓夕法尼亞的舉世聞名的土撥鼠Punxsutawney Phi周四根據(jù)它的影子預(yù)測還有長達(dá)六周的冬季時光。

This event is part of an American tradition called “Groundhog Day.” It takes place every February 2 in the small Pennsylvanian town of Punxsutawney.

這項(xiàng)活動是美國的一個傳統(tǒng)，稱作“土撥鼠日”。每年2月2日在賓夕法尼亞的小鎮(zhèn)Punxsutawney舉行。

Since 1886, thousands of people have come together on this day on a hill called “Gobbler’s Knob.” They watch as a groundhog named Phil predicts the length of the winter season. Today was the 131st official Groundhog Day.

從1886年起，成千上萬的人們在這一天來到一個叫做Gobbler’s Knob的山丘。他們觀看一只叫做“菲爾”的土撥鼠預(yù)測冬季的長短。今天是官方過得第131個土撥鼠日。

A groundhog is a large rodent, and part of a family known as marmots.

土撥鼠是一種大型嚙齒動物，家族的部分成員就是大家熟悉的土撥鼠。

On Groundhog Day, Phil the groundhog comes out of a hole in the earth just after sunrise. As the tradition goes, Phil will then look for his shadow on the ground. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of cold weather during winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, warmer weather will arrive soon.

在土撥鼠日這一日，太陽剛剛升起，菲爾就從洞里爬出來。按照傳統(tǒng)，菲爾會在地面上尋找它的影子。如果它看到了自己的影戲，則這個冬季還要持續(xù)六個星期。如果它沒看到自己的影子，那么溫暖的季節(jié)馬上來臨。

From Europe to America

The story of Groundhog Day comes from an early Christian European tradition, says John Griffiths. He helps take care of Phil the groundhog.

土撥鼠的故事來源于歐洲基督教的傳統(tǒng)。一個叫John Griffiths的人幫助照看叫做菲爾的土撥鼠。

“It stems from the tradition of ‘Candlemass.’ February 2 actually is the halfway point of winter. In Europe, they would melt their candles down and make new candles … and it was basically a day for communities and folks to get together.”

這源于傳統(tǒng)的“圣燭節(jié)”。2月2號是冬季的一半，在歐洲，人們將會燃燒完蠟燭然后點(diǎn)燃新的蠟燭。這一天實(shí)際上是社區(qū)人們團(tuán)圓的日子。

Griffiths said that when European settlers came to Pennsylvania from Germany, they held on to that tradition. They decided that the groundhog was the best animal to continue the tradition.

格里菲斯說，從德國來的歐洲移民者來到賓夕法尼亞的時候，他們開辦了這個傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。他們認(rèn)為土撥鼠是將這個傳統(tǒng)進(jìn)行下去的最佳動物。

The town of Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in 1886, but the first official Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob happened the next year, in 1887.

Punxsutawney小鎮(zhèn)第一次舉辦這個活動是在1886年。但是官方正式在 Gobbler’s Knob舉辦土撥鼠日是在第二年，也就是1887年。

The legend of Phil

菲爾的傳說

Phil is taken care of by a local group known as Phil’s “Inner Circle.” Griffiths is a member of the Inner Circle. He says the group helps pull Phil out of the hole on Groundhog Day. The members also take care of the day-to-day activities of the Groundhog Club. The Groundhog Club organizes the annual celebration.

菲爾由當(dāng)?shù)匾粋€叫“菲爾內(nèi)部生活圈”的組織照料。格里菲斯是該組織的一名成員。他說，組織在土撥鼠日這一天把土撥鼠從洞里拖出來。成員們還負(fù)責(zé)土撥鼠俱樂部每天的活動。土撥鼠俱樂部負(fù)責(zé)組織每年的慶典。

Phil has become very important for the town of Punxsutawney. This year, between 15,000 to 20,000 people came to town for the celebration. The event helps support the local economy.

菲爾對Punxsutawney小鎮(zhèn)來說特別重要。今年，大約有一萬五千人到兩萬人來小鎮(zhèn)參加慶典活動。這個活動幫助發(fā)展當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟(jì)。

Many people say that Punxsutawney Phil is always correct with his weather predictions. Elaine Owen traveled to Punxsutawney from Greenwich, Pennsylvania. It was her first time coming to the event.

多數(shù)人表示菲爾的預(yù)測還是很準(zhǔn)確的。伊萊恩·歐文來自賓夕法尼亞的格林威治，這是她第一次來參加這項(xiàng)活動。

“It’s just been a tradition that everybody says that the groundhog is very accurate. And whatever he predicts is what happens.”

每個人都說土撥鼠的預(yù)測很準(zhǔn)確，這是一個傳統(tǒng)。它預(yù)測的天氣都會出現(xiàn)。

As the story goes, the groundhog that appeared in this year’s event is the same groundhog that saw its shadow in 1886. Phil is able to live so long because he drinks “groundhog punch,” made from a secret recipe. One sip is given to Phil every summer. It is enough to give him many more years of life.

故事中說，今年活動出現(xiàn)的土撥鼠正是1886年看見影子的那只土撥鼠。菲爾之所以能活這么長時間是因?yàn)樗攘?ldquo;土撥鼠賓治酒”，該酒的配方仍是個迷。每年夏天都會給菲爾喝一點(diǎn)。這就足夠使它活這么長時間了

More than just the weather

天氣預(yù)測多方面小能手

The Stormfax website looked back at Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions over the years. It found Phil has been correct 39 percent of the time. He usually predicts six more weeks of winter weather.

Stormfax網(wǎng)站觀看土撥鼠往年的預(yù)測情況。網(wǎng)站發(fā)現(xiàn)，菲爾的正確率為39%。它經(jīng)常預(yù)測冬季還有六個星期。

Griffiths says Groundhog Day means more to people than just predicting the weather.

格里菲斯說，除了預(yù)測天氣，土撥鼠日還有更多意義。

“It’s not religious, it’s not political, it’s all about having fun. It’s a time of the year… it gives everybody a chance to get out and for one day, cast all their cares off and have a good time.”

這非宗教非政治，純屬娛樂活動。這是每年中給人們一個出來聚會的日子，這一天人們拋棄一切顧慮，快樂玩耍。

Visitors agree. One visitor who went by the nickname of “Winter” says the event helps bring the community together.

游客們普遍同意這個觀點(diǎn)，一位昵稱為“冬季”的游客表示，這個活動就是把社區(qū)的人們集合起來。

“I think it brings a community together, and people get really excited… generally speaking Groundhog Day is something that, for a very long time, has brought communities together."

“我認(rèn)為這個活動能夠使人們在一起，人們都能很開心，普遍說來，在很長時間內(nèi)，土撥鼠日一直都是把人們集合起來的日子。”

Whether it is for the community, the weather prediction, or just the tradition itself, Groundhog Day is one of America’s most unusual celebrations.

無論是為了社區(qū)，還是預(yù)測天氣，還是傳統(tǒng)本身，土撥鼠日一直都是美國重要的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。

And that's What's Trending Today.

I’m Jill Robbins.