> Brunnen-G's right, Nyp: try petitioning the
>mighty Faux Pas, who might be able locate
Groundhog Day traditions for you. At least, he
>did a splendid job with the "23 skidoo" phrase
>as it originated from the corner of the Flatiron
>Building in New York.

I have the answer! Me! Me!

Apparently, it was a public relations stunt that succeded beyond its creators' wildest dreams, and has no actual ritual, religious, or historical meaning. Check out

http://users.penn.com/~mweimer/history.html

for more details.

Tom "has anyone else noticed I'm the only person around here whoever uses their last name?" Schmidt
tmschm@wm.edu