Washington, D.C. – Every year in June the turkey selection process for the presidential pardon begins. Throughout the following months, the turkeys are studied and put through many tests to find out if they are suitable candidates. The selected candidates end up becoming the pardoned turkeys and are allowed to live the rest of their lives peacefully. 

Firstly, a rafter, or group of turkeys are taken to wherever the current National Turkey Federation’s chairman desires. Forty turkey eggs are picked out and will be a part of the selection process. The turkeys that hatch from those eggs will be put through rigorous training to tame them. Turkey caretakers constantly put themselves near the turkeys, so they get used to human contact, loud music is also played to familiarize the turkeys with loud noises. 

The chairman of the National Turkey Federation will then select a turkey and a replacement turkey in case the main one dies. While picking the turkey, looks, health, and easy handling are all thought about. Names are submitted from children nationwide, and the White House selects two names that will then become the turkeys’ names. Once all this is completed, the turkeys will then be driven to Washington D.C. where they can feast on cranberries and corn until the next day. 

On the day before Thanksgiving, the turkeys are put in front of the White House where the current president pardons them in a televised ceremony that usually lasts thirty minutes. After this event, a photo op takes place with the turkeys and the president. The turkeys are then taken to a farm where they can graze for the rest of their life or be studied at a university that the chairman of the National Turkey Federation selects. The turkey pardoning has occurred in a ceremonial context since 1989 and has lifted the spirits of everyone who watches the ceremony. A tradition such as this deserves its place as an American holiday that everyone can enjoy.