BH Engagements 3-C
H Food 4-C
HM Religion 7-C
IS MUCH
by Robert Williams
By the time you read this, there will be only one
more shopping day left before Groundhog Day. And if
you haven't done your shopping yet, you are in great
danger of missing out on one of the most delightful hol-
idays of the year and certainly one of the best gift-giv-
ing opportunities ever. ;
For those of you who don't know about the day, for
all those who think that Groundhog Day is simply that
special time of year when some such creature as
Punxatawny Phil creeps out of his burrow and spots his
shadow before running back in to announce that there
will be six more weeks of winter, it's time you knew the
truth about the hog and his day.
First, there is a big difference between Groundhogs
and ground hogs. The second is sausage; the first is a
very special creature who has been picked form all oth-
er members of the animal kingdom to represent a very
symbolic aspect of religion and family togetherness.
It all started forty days after the birth of Jesus. On
that date, which would be February 2 by modern calen-
dars, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem, accord-
ing to the law of the land, for the consecration and pu-
rification rites. You can find the scriptural basis for the
date in the book of Luke.
In the second chapter of Luke, verses 22 through 24,
you can read that when the days of Mary's purification
were accomplished, according to the law of Moses, she
and Joseph brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to
the Lord.
While there, Mary made the customary gift or sacri-
fice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
However, it was not for decades that the ceremony of
Candlemas was initiated. It was actually late in the
fourth century A. D. that the first recorded ceremony
was noted. The festival was known, in addition to
Candlemas, as the Purification of the Virgin Mary and
as the Presentation of the Child Jesus.
In the Greek church the ceremony was also called
Hypapante, which means "meeting."
A pilgrim known only as Eutheria first wrote of the
Candlemas festival and ritual, and later a Jewish abbess
introduced the procession of candles which cemented
the name forever.
It was Pope Sergius I who introduced the festival in-
to Roman culture. ;
No one seems to know exactly how the gift-giving
and the use of the Groundhog entered the Festival or
ritual. And there is no definitive proof that the two are
an inextricable part of the original observation.
But there are theories.
The first of these is that when the religious meetings
were later held to commemorate the purification and
consecration observances, the dark and gloomy
February day required the use of candles so that the pil-
grims would be able to find their way to the church
more easily.
There is also the notion of the light versus dark sym-
bolism in the Christian church, and the candles were
seen not only in terms of the Light of the World but al-
so as good (light) overpowering darkness (evil) not on-
ly in the physical world but also in the minds and hearts
of mankind.
It has been theorized by some thinkers that the
Groundhog element of the observation originally
stemmed from a bear, rather than woodchuck. The idea
was that if the winter was to be a very long and hard
one, the bear, which was in prolonged hibernation, did
not have enough fat stored in his body to keep him
alive and healthy until spring, and at this time of the
year (early February) he woke, became restless because
of hunger, and saw the bright sunlight outside his cave
or den. :
Taking advantage of the warmth or ideal weather, he
ventured outside to replenish his food supply before re-
tiring for another prolonged nap. He, of course, saw his
shadow.
But it was not the shadow that was important. It was
the instincts of the bear that told him that winter was
not nearly over that sent him out in search of food.
Later, the bear became less prominent in the obser-
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vance of Candlemas or corresponding ceremonies or
observations, and he was replaced by the badger. This
creature, whose name actually means "corn thief," was
also known for his ability to spend a bitter cold winter
in sleep.
But the badger, too, would run out of nourishment if
the winter was a long, hard one, and he would emerge
from his den just as the bear did--to find enough food
to last him until the spring vegetation made life easy
again.
The gift angle of the day perhaps came from Mary's
sacrifice of the pigeons or doves. Others outside the
By JAMES E. HEFFNER
Winter storms are killers. They can immobilize, iso-
late and kill anyone in any area of the United States.
Whether it's from a heavy snowfall or strong winds and
cold temperatures, wintertime can be dangerous. Over
450 Americans die each year from winter weather ac-
cording to a bulletin issued by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
So far the winter of 1988-89 has been tame as a kit-
~ ten in these parts but there are two months left in the
season and Mother Nature could deal us a bad hand yet.
Should that be the case it's best to be prepared. There
are many precautions one can take and now is the time
to go through your checklist. :
Pay attention to weather news presented by the print
and broadcast media and act accordingly. When bad
weather is forecast, be sure you have enough supplies to
see you through. Extra batteries for flashlights and ra-
dios are a necessity because of the possibility of power
interruptions."Adequate supplies of food and fuel
- should be a prime consideration. And be very careful
about fire when using stoves and fireplaces for emer-
gency heating and cooking. A housefire in Charlotte on
January 19th killed three people, including a nine year
old girl. A New Year's Day fire in Charlotte killed five
more. These tragedies always seem to occur when the
weather gets extremely cold. ;
Very cold weather can be uncomfortable, even inside
x the house. That discomfort sometimes makes us use
flawed judgment in how we deal with the elements.
Don't just turn up the heat. There are other measures
that can be taken.
Consider long johns. Thermal underwear can be used
for sleeping, just lounging around and for wear under
your clothes should you need to go outside. Here's a tip:
buy your long johns a size large as tests have shown
that textured knits tend to shrink more than regular knit
fabrics. Besides thermal underwear does a much better
job of warming the body if it fits rather loosely.
Think about buying cotton-flannel sheets. They are
soft and comfortable and do an excellent job of retain-
faith did not understand the use of the sacrificial birds
--and assumed that gifts of any sort were satisfactory or
even necessary.
Then, for no apparent reason, the Festival or observa-
tion underwent a series of changes. Candlemas, no mat-
ter what tenuous connections there had been to the
February 2 date, became totally separate from any of
the folk tales or myths. Indeed, there is no proof that
the two events were ever vitally part of each other.
After the badger had faded from use in the February
2 date, the wolverine was the animal used to predict the
weather for a brief period of time, after which the right-
The Weather's Fine Now...
... But Be Prepared For Winter Storms
ing body heat.
An electric blanket is good for sleeping warmly but
it's hard to beat a good old-fashioned down comforter.
Lamb's wool comforters are good also but try to avoid
the ones filled with polyester as they tend to mat and
lose their warmth.
Nevertheless, an electric blanket is a good way to
keep warm and the cost is minimal, less than ten dollars
per season for the electricity you will use.
Try one of the new body sacks if you're going to sit
around and watch TV. These sacks are a cross between
a comforter and a jacket. They come in many sizes and
are quilted. They, too, are made with several different
fabrics, including down and lamb's wool. The polyester
fiberfill sacks are less expensive and are machine wash-
able.
Sweaters and leg warmers are good warmth aids.
Those leg warmers you see dancers and exercise gurus
wearing are manufactured in several different lengths
and are not expensive. Some can be pulled as high as
the waist. They can be worn indoors or out and, again,
you carn get them made from several different materials.
Bulky sweaters are best and wool ones the warmest.
Some of the newer ones are lined for extra comfort.
Finally, keep out cold drafts as much as possible.
Window shades and blinds help. Keep them up when
the sun is shining directly into the room and some of
that solar heat will be retained for use at night. Lined
drapes help to retain heat and slow leakage through
windows.
How fast does a snowflake fall? Too fast if you're
caught in a blizzard. It's the most dangerous and deadly
of all winter storms. The National Weather Service is-
sues blizzard warnings when it expects winds of 35
miles an hour with falling or blowing snow for any sus-
tained period. Never venture out in a blizzard, even for
short distances, unless sit is an extreme emergency. If peg (6 keep abreast of forecasts. Snow or ice could be:
you have any doubts about making your destination,
don't chance it.
The best way to experience snow is by standing by
‘the window with a cup of hot coffee watching it pile up
SECTION
C
MORE THAN SAUSAGE
ful owner of the day, the Groundhog, made his appear-
ance and has been here since.
And in isolated part of the country unique gift-giving
customs have evolved. One of the nicest is the tradition
that is described below.
In, for instance, a family of five, each member of the
family buys or obtains five small but desired gifts. The
father may buy gifts for his wife and three children as
well as one for himself. He wraps the gifts, including
the one for himself. Other members of the family do the
same, with each one buying a gift for himself as well as
for others in the immediate family.
It is important to keep the gifts secret. That is an im-
portant part of the entire observance of the day.
You, as a case in point, will buy yourself something
that you have wanted for some time but no one ever
thought to buy you. So the rest of the family waits to
see what it is they never dreamed you would want.
By the same token, your wife has bought herself a
gift that you and the kids never dreamed she wanted, so
you wait and wonder how you could have known her so
long without ever realizing that she wanted the gift.
Even the children who are old enough to shop can be
part of this special day.
However, buying is not emphasized. And, even if
bought, the gifts do not have to be new.
You can find Dad an old tool that was in the barn of
the neighbors for years before they decided to discard
it. Or he may like an old book that you picked up on the
used book rack for a quarter.
It isn't the money, and it isn't the fancy wrapping.
Colored comics pages from newspapers will work
great. And if you don't have colored pages, black-and-
white ones will work perfectly.
If nothing else is available, you can use a brown pa-
per bag or, for that matter, a garbage bag--unused,
preferably.
Homemade gifts work wonderfully for this special
day. Just remember that it isn't cost and it isn't glitter;
it's simply an occasion in the middle of winter on which
you can make your family a little happier. You can
brighten up an otherwise rainy and cold February day
with a very small gift.
And why not? At this time of the year there are no
real celebrations at hand. It's been forty days since
Christmas and a week since you spend the evening
glued to the television set to watch the Super Bowl.
You have been watching the ACC teams knock each
other out of the national rankings in the basketball
world, and you have watched these same teams whale
the daylights out of other nationally ranked teams.
This practice, incidentally, is to get you hyped up and
thinking that this year, finally, another ACC team will
win the NCAA tournament championship. And, deep
inside, you know what will happen.
The ACC teams will blaze past all comers and make
it into the Final Four, at which time Slippery Rock State
Teachers College or Podunk U. will wipe up the floor
with the Blue Devils or Tar Heels or Wolfpack.
It's still a few days until Valentine's Day, and after
that you have no reason to celebrate until Easter.
So celebrating Groundhog Day is the answer to your
problems. You can have a big meal, give the family
gifts that don't cost more than a buck or two, get your-
self back in good graces with the rest of the family that
you have been neglecting since Christmas, and in gen-
eral have a great time and have to do very little in order
to enjoy yourself greatly.
Incidentally, you don't have to send Groundhog cards
with pretty scenes and touching poetry on them to peo-
ple you detest; you don't have to sit around and sing
Groundhog carols with a group of other people who
can't carry a tune; you don't have to brave the crowds of
shoppers and blow the next month's budget on costly
and worthless presents.
All you have to is try to be a good sport about it all.
The traditional meal can be whatever you like, from
pinto beans and corn bread to soup, hamburgers,
spaghetti, or bologna sandwiches.
You can have anything you want and can afford.
Anything, that is, but sausage.
Don't spoil Groundhog Day by eating ground hog.
outside.
Last year's heavy snow was bad enough at about 12
inches, but many people recall the late winter of 1960.
On February 13, 1960, the area-experienced a six-inch
snowfall. Not much by most standards, but the tempera-
ture stayed cold and most of the snow was still around
when, on the morning of March 2, it started snowing at
8:30 a.m. and continued until 4:30 p.m. When it finally
stopped there was 12 inches on the ground - ten inches
of snow and two inches of sleet. The figures tell you
that it snowed at the rate of one inch per hour. Just be-
fore the storm started the temperature dropped to 27 de-
grees and the ground was covered in less than thirty
minutes. The snow was so dense it was hard to see
through the swirling flakes. Thousands were marooned
at home and hundreds of cars and trucks dotted ditches
throughout the piedmont. The roofs of three buildings
collapsed in Gastonia. It was the worst snowstorm in 33,
ears. ;
¥ One week later, on March 9, another six inches fell
all but paralyzing the entire area. When the snowplows
finally got out they could hardly move and it took sev-
eral days to clear streets and roads. Some businesses
hired tractors and heavy equipment to move the snow in
their parking lots and some of the piles were so high
they looked like the sand dunes on the outer banks. i
Some weatherman will tell you that freezing rain is
worse than snow and, in some cases it is. Any freezing
rainstorm can be dangerous during the winter. They oc-
cur when temperatures near the ground are at or below
thirty-two degrees and rain freezes on impact. Driving
or walking becomes hazardous, especially if tree limbs
and electrical wires are down, as they frequently arc.
Travel should always be avoided when there is a layer
of ice on the ground. Many people have gone out after
ice storms and returned with casts.
So, even though we've had a mild winter thus far, it's
in the offing and it's best to be on good terms with old
man winter.
Incidentally, a snowflake
falls at the rate of one mile
per hour.
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