By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned Peach and Blossom, two white-plumed turkeys, on Monday, sparing them from the Thanksgiving dinner tables, an annual tradition that also marked the start of the Democrat’s latest holiday celebrations in the White House.
This year’s turkeys are named after Delaware’s state flower, the peach blossom, which symbolizes resilience, Biden, a Delawarean, told a crowd of about 2,500 people on the South Lawn of the White House, as one of the turkeys stood in the background shocked.
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“This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington. It is also the last time I speak here as your President during this season and offer thanks and gratitude. So let me say to you: It is the honor of a lifetime I am forever grateful,” Biden said.
Peach weighs 19 kg and likes to eat hot dishes and potato cakes. His dream is to see the Northern Lights, while Blossom weighs 40 pounds and enjoys eating cheese curds and watching boxing, Biden joked.
The real beginning of what has evolved into the current tradition of pardoning Turkey dates back to the presidency of Harry Truman in 1947. The official tradition began in 1989 at the White House, when then-President George HW Bush issued the first official offered a presidential pardon.
Millions of turkeys will be roasted and drenched in gravy in Thanksgiving ovens across the country on Thursday, accompanied by a variety of side dishes, including holiday staples like stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole.
Biden will travel to New York City’s Staten Island later on Monday for a “Friendsgiving” event with members of the U.S. Coast Guard.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
