Biden pardoned two turkeys before Thanksgiving on his 81st birthday

Moscow. 20 November. INTERFAX.RU – US President Joe Biden on Monday took part in the traditional ceremony of pardoning turkeys on the eve of Thanksgiving Day.

In accordance with the annual tradition, the American leader pardoned two birds on the South Lawn of the White House, this year they were turkeys named Liberty and Bell.

The ceremony coincided with the birthday of the US President, who turns 81 on Monday.

The turkeys were raised on a farm in Minnesota. Each of them is about 20 weeks old and weighs about 19 kg.

The tradition of honoring the Thanksgiving turkey began in 1947, when the National Turkey Federation and the National Poultry Council first presented the bird to then-President Harry Truman.

John Kennedy is considered the first US president to pardon a turkey. He pardoned her at a Thanksgiving ceremony in 1963. And George Bush Sr. formalized this tradition in 1989.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November – this year the holiday falls on November 23.