Domestic donkey feeding on cherry twigs

© Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alam

A delightful day for donkeys. Feast of the Donkey

This fuzzy donkey feeding on the leaves of a cherry tree probably doesn't know that today was once celebrated as the Feast of the Donkey. We think any day is a good day to celebrate donkeys. They've carried load for humans for more than 7,000 years, so let's give them some love. More than 40 million donkeys do the heavy lifting around the world today, with 11 million in China alone.

Medieval Christians celebrated January 14 as the Feast of the Donkey, or Feast of the Ass—acknowledging the importance of donkeys in the Bible. The passage of Mary, Joseph and their newborn son into Egypt was usually depicted with Mary and her child riding on a donkey. The festival fell out of favour by the 15th century.