This week, President Joe Biden pardoned the turkeys Peach and Blossom.

The Minnesotan turkeys getting pardoned, “marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington,” President Biden proclaimed. He then went on to discuss this being his last chance to stand in front of the crowd during this season, and the honor it was to be president, and gave thanks for the opportunity.

Peach and Blossom weigh 41 and 40 pounds, respectively, and had been hatched in July. Their names come from Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware’s state flower, that being the Peach Blossom. Following the birds’ pardons, they were sent back to Waseca, Minnesota to live out their lives.

While the exact origin of the turkey pardoning is unknown, there are some theories. One account thinks President Abraham Lincoln started it in 1863 when he showed mercy to a turkey, this being recounted by reporter Noah Brooks in 1865. In the 1870s poultry dealer Horace Vose sent turkeys to the White House as a gift, and the tradition remains today as a symbol of good spirit and thanks.