While Americans look forward to crispy roast Thanksgiving turkey, the US President is following a long-standing tradition and allowing two magnificent specimens to go into the oven. The night before, "Chocolate" and "Chip" stayed at the hotel.
A few days before the American Thanksgiving holiday, US President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys in a traditional ceremony. Thus the two birds were spared the fate of many conspecifics on this holiday. The turkeys that Biden saved from death on the South Lawn of the White House in bright sunshine are called "Chocolate" and "Chip".
He'll keep it short, said a good-humored Biden, looking at low temperatures of around five degrees. "Nobody likes their turkey getting cold," the president joked, somewhat ambiguously. "Chocolate" likes to sit in the sun and "Chip" likes basketball and barbecue, he said. The birds chattered several times during the ceremony - but when Biden held the microphone up to one of them, he remained silent.
The two turkeys, each weighing nearly 50 pounds, arrived in Washington from North Carolina on Saturday night and, as is tradition, checked into their room at the Willard Hotel near the White House to await the presidential decree.
The US President has a long history of pardoning turkeys. Since the 19th century, the presidential family has received a particularly sumptuous turkey before the holiday. According to the White House, President Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) is said to have pardoned one of the animals for the first time at the request of his son. Under President George Bush Sr., pardoning turkeys became a ritual in 1989.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA next Thursday - traditionally with the whole family at a big turkey feast. An important custom is a prayer of thanksgiving, which is usually said by the head of the family. Often everyone present also says what they are grateful for and what their wishes are for the future. On that note, Biden concluded on a solemn note, encouraging Americans to get vaccinated and "be thankful for what we have." "This is a special time in the greatest nation on earth, so let's be thankful," Biden said.
