If you thought Groundhog Day was a crazy ritual, well, it is. In keeping with the weirdness and whimsy of it all, there is a related, unique event in Essex: The Essex Ed Parade.

The parade boasts a larger-than-human-sized groundhog statue that rolls through town on a given day each year, and folks join in the procession, banging pots and pans as they go.

Ed is decked out in a different costume each year, with the exact get-up kept hush-hush until the actual parade. A community organization dresses him in a costume that acknowledges a person or special occasion.

So head down to Essex on Sunday afternoon for this year’s go-round. As always, the Griswold Inn will serve popcorn and hot chocolate.

Essex Ed Parade, 2 p.m. Sunday, from Essex Boatworks on Ferry Street and along Main Street, Essex; parade is weather permitting; essexct.com.