This afternoon, President Barack Obama will pardon either Popcorn the turkey or Caramel the turkey in the Rose Garden. Regardless of which turkey is pardoned, both will be sent to live out their lives in Virginia.

America’s dumbest ritual officially began in 1989 with President George H. W. Bush. President Ronald Reagan also pardoned a turkey, but as a joke about the Iran-Contra scandal. President Harry Truman probably ate the turkeys he received.

Here’s some more history on the turkey pardon, via the White House.

Tales of spared turkeys date back to the Lincoln days. According to one story, Lincoln’s son Tad begged his father to write out a presidential pardon for the bird meant for the family’s Christmas table, arguing it had as much a right to live as anyone. Lincoln acquiesced and the turkey lived.

In 1963, President Kennedy decided to send that year’s gift from the National Turkey Federation back to the farm where it came from. “We’ll just let this one grow,” he said. Sometime around the Nixon administration, the President began sending the turkey to a petting farm near Washington after holding the traditional receiving ceremony and photo op, although no formal pardon was given.

While we can’t know exactly which president had the idea first and if it’s super dumb or just a little stupid, one fact remains: pictures of presidents and turkeys are funny. So check out the above gallery.