Written by: Monika Seymour Saturday, January 30, 2010
Groundhog Day is celebrated in Canada and the USA annually on February 2. and was inspired by an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemass Day is bright and clear; There'll be two winters in the year." Candlemass Day, is observed midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and for the winter weary, is a marker as we look forward to spring, and in times past was observed with a candle procession, hence its name. Tradition is that one must observe a groundhog's burrow on this day. If the groundhog emerges and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end; however, if the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is sunny & bright, it will run back into its hole, and the winter will continue for six more weeks. How groundhogs got a reputation for predicting weather patterns is a mystery, because they are not the least bit interested in their shadows or the number of winter weeks remaining. The only reasons they come out of hibernation are for food and the call of nature. In Canada, Wiarton Willie became a household name in 1956, for his early February predictions. I checked with our Reference staff for this bit of “information”. They use a variety of sources, including encyclopaedias, yearbooks, online databases, search engines and books to answer the thousands of questions put to them annually. There is not much they cannot find answers for. Call the Reference Department or email them using the “Contact us” form on the Library Homepage. Every year CBC Radio hosts the Canada Reads competition. Canada Reads is a 3 month long affair on-line, with various live events, and culminates in a week-long show, this year hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, from March 8 to 12 at 11:30 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. each day. In this week-long event, 5 celebrity panelists defend their favourite book – each day one panelist is voted off the show until only the winner remains. Members of the public are invited to read the books and add their comments to the online debate at www.cbc.ca/canadareads. The library has multiple copies of all 5 titles. They are: Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott - Defended by Simi Sara Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner translated by Lazer Lederhendler - Defended by Michel Vézina Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland - Defended by Roland Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy - Defended by Samantha Nutt Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald - Defended by Perdita Felicien
Copies of these books can be reserved by going to our online catalogue at www.nflibrary.ca, or by calling the Library at 905-356-8080.
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