The Palaceside Building's Christmas decorations have only a few days left, but for turkeys the night of passion is approaching—Christmas Eve. In Japan, where not many turkeys are raised, it is chickens that face the eve of passion.
Why did roasted whole turkey become a Christmas Eve tradition? This comes not from Europe but from customs in the United States and Canada. Stuffed roast turkey came to be eaten on Thanksgiving Day, the Christian harvest festival, and in America and Canada the day is also called Turkey Day. From there it spread to Christmas as well.
Incidentally, America's national bird is the bald eagle. Yet Benjamin Franklin—politician, diplomat, and physicist, and a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence—is said to have objected that the bald eagle, which steals fish from the dead and snatches prey from other birds, was unworthy of being the national bird. He believed courage and justice were the essence of America, and is said to have pushed for the beloved turkey instead.
Turkeys are said to have "seven faces," as the name suggests—the head and neck shift through red, blue, purple, and other colors. The change appears when they are angry or in breeding season. The largest species of pheasant, they average 120–130 cm in length and commonly weigh around 10 kg. The body is covered in glossy black feathers.
In Japan, with few turkeys, chickens have become the sad stars of the eve instead. When we eat living creatures, let us do so with gratitude and say, "Merry Christmas!"