You've heard of turkey pardons at Thanksgiving, but you probably never heard of a pig pardon before. In a Cuban twist on the holiday tradition, a Florida mayor is pardoning two baby pigs just in time for Christmas.
In Miami, two baby pigs can sleep easily. Neither Glinda nor Elphaba will ever grace a Cuban family's dinner plate on Christmas Eve. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava pardoned the two baby pigs in a ceremony, the seventh time the city has done so. The two piglets were named after Wicked characters. Instead of becoming dinner, they will live out their lives at an animal sanctuary.
The pardons stops them from becoming part of a barbecue on Tuesday. Cuban families typically dine on roasted pigs, barbecuing them whole in underground pits or on spits. The meat is served as "lechon asado," a traditional dish.
Mayor Pardons Baby Pigs
"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 at the pig pardoning ceremony.
Eric Castellanos, the Latin Cafe 2000's owner, said the tradition started as a joke. He said, "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.' The rest is history."
A local shared their thoughts on the event.
"I'm from the Midwest, so I have been to my fair share of farms and seen a variety of different types of pigs, but these are cute ones," Erkes said. "One of my best friends has lived here her whole life, and she's been kind of teaching me about Cuban culture, Latin culture, and the things I need to be a full Miamian."
So rest easy little piglets. Unfortunately, it's not a safe time to be a pig in Miami if you're not on the pardoning list. After all, Christmas dinner is coming.
