This Swine Life: Pig Named 6-7 Pardoned by Miami-Dade Leader.
Although not quite at the same level as sparing holiday birds, but the mayor of Miami-Dade experienced a presidential-style act this week by formally pardoning the life of a pig named Six Seven.
Daniella Levine Cava carried out the annual tradition at the Cuban-style Latin Cafe 2000 in the center of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
“The swine has done no wrong. She is worthy of this pardon. Her criminal record is spotless,” Levine Cava said in a speech with inescapable allusions to the extraordinary and sizable number of executive clemencies issued from the start of the onset of a second term in office.
“Unless you count eating six or seven apples per day,” she went on. “Let this swine have a prosperous future away from worry.”
This ceremony, which both honors and questions the region’s Hispanic tradition of consuming swine during the holidays, was founded to emulate the yearly bird sparing at the White House.
The swine, donated by a Coral Gables firefighter, was given its name from the popular vernacular phrase of young people yelling “six-seven” – originating from a hip-hop line – often seemingly at random. The trend became so ubiquitous that a prominent word reference recently made “six-seven” its top term for the year.
A New Life
This particular pig is now destined to live out its days at a farm sanctuary “far from charcoal and roasting pans”, according to the ceremony's official statement.
“The annual pig pardon has become a cherished method to begin the end-of-year celebrations,” said the cafe owner, in a notably cheerful message.
“It captures the spirit of Miami: happy, multicultural, and grounded in customs that unite the community. Annually, we are proud to celebrate culture and compassion in a way distinctively Miamian.”
Participants enjoyed a meat-free selection of spinach croquetas and strong coffee as they celebrated the pig's pardon.
