Donkey Sounds

There are many reasons why we have a festival that pays honor to the donkey.  The donkey always goes to work as the day begins.  This handsome beast is strong and fit for burden.  They pull carts with heavy loads.  They turn the mills that grind the grain.  They are obliged to walk around in circles all day long. Donkeys are known for their stubbornness, but they also understand the futility of resistance.  Donkeys are very gentle, they are also patient and trusting with people that they know.  They are incredibly surefooted, which allows them to traverse diverse terrain that is too rough for horses.  Donkeys are more independent in their thinking than horses, and they will reason first, and then make decisions based on their safety. Donkeys have an incredible memory and you can’t force them into doing something, that they see as being contrary to their own best interest or safety.  Their infamous stubbornness often keeps them and their riders out of danger.

Donkeys have a reputation for being slow-moving creatures, but in fact many can move as swiftly as a horse, especially when they know that dinner is being served.  Donkeys love to eat, but they require minimal food and they are capable of digesting almost anything edible.  Donkeys eat coarse dry grass and roughage, which can include leaves, woody herbs, thick stemmed plants, blackberries, branches, bark, twigs, thistles and other varieties of plants and non-grass species.  Their voice is a raspy, it is a brassy bray, which is quite distinctive and it can be extremely loud.  Donkey’s have extremely large ears, which gives them exceptional hearing.  They also have a keen sense of vision and smell, and this combination allows them to detect intruders or danger.  Although it is not always easy to see, most donkeys have a dorsal stripe in a darker shade of hair than the rest of their coat going down the length of their back that is crossed by a shoulder stripe which runs across the top of their body.

Donkeys can deliver a powerful kick, but they are loyal, even when they are whipped mercilessly.  A donkey will nuzzle up to you and gaze directly into your eyes, letting you know that you have a friend and that there is no reason to rush along and do everything at once.  Donkeys are great traveling companions, especially as the end of the journey approaches, they allow you to savor the rewards of life.  Bouncing along as you travel on a donkey forces you to stop, slow down, and enjoy the trip.

Donkeys love going to work and they enjoy doing their jobs, but they also like to jump and play and have fun. I think that donkeys are so adorable with their long ears and long legs, their sweet face and their fuzzy coats.  Donkeys are team players and they realize that it is more important what they do, than who they are.  Donkeys will work in terrible conditions until they drop from exhaustion, in order to carry desperately needed supplies and transport huge loads, so that their owners can make a living.  Someone has to pull the load and most donkeys are more than willing to do this.  Donkeys are hard-working animals and they have served mankind since the beginning of history.  Donkeys are the tireless animals that made our bread, so mankind will never be able to repay the debt that we owe to the donkeys.