We all know the American tradition of pardoning a turkey on thanksgiving, we see it go down every year, as the president goes through the ceremony of pardoning a turkey that's sent to the White House, and that turkey gets to avoid becoming dinner for some family on the ill fated day. TV's "The West Wing", even had a classic comedic episode showing the process, which not only resulted in one turkey getting pardoned, but the other turkey eventually got drafted by the president to save it from going back to be sold for thanksgiving dinner.
Well, in Miami some may celebrate thanksgiving a little differently, as many Latin American families enjoy a bit of pork for their festivities, so Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava pardoned baby pigs Glinda and Elphaba on Christmas Eve.
This occasion has been going on in Miami for seven years, but this year the 4-month-old pigs, were named after the good and wicked witches in the musical “ Wicked,” as the two will live out their years at an animal sanctuary south of Miami.
“The holidays are definitely the favorite part of the year for me and for so many. It’s a time of gratitude. A time when we reunite with our families and our loved ones. And of course, good food, right? So important — but not a very good time to be a pig in Miami,” Levine Cava joked.
The idea for the event was thought of by Eric Castellanos, owner of The Latin Cafe, a restaurant in Miami. The event started as a joke among staff after seeing the presidential Thanksgiving pardon,
“because we really don’t eat turkey here in Miami, we eat pork, so we looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, someone should do this,’” Castellanos said. “The rest is history.”
Merry Christmas piggies.