Originally celebrated by Christians in the Middle Ages, the Israelites’ exodus to Egypt is remembered on January 14 during the Feast of the Ass.
The French celebrated it as a spinoff of the Feast of Fools to remember the donkey mentioned in the Bible, especially how it helped move the Holy Family to Egypt after Jesus was born.
It’s possible that donkeys make an appearance in the Bible. The donkey that is traditionally considered to have carried Jesus and his family to Egypt after his birth is among those celebrated at the Feast of the Ass.
An attempt to incorporate the donkey from the Nativity story into the Christian celebration of the pagan feast Cervulus
Hymns are sung regarding the girl’s pregnancy or the baby she is carrying. The congregation in the church provides sustenance and water to the girl and the donkey once they arrive. Later, “happy feast” greetings would include the sacred mass.
Backstory On The Holy Ass
The Christian celebration of the donkey in the Nativity Story could be an adaptation of the pagan festival Cervulus.In the first millennium CE, it was held to honour numerous biblical figures and events.
An additional attribute of the “Sermo contra Judaeos” is a pseudo-Augustinian flavour. The celebration’s popularity declined once the Catholic Church condemned it openly in the second half of the 15th century.
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During this time, the Feast of Fools was also deemed inappropriate. Both feasts were considered inappropriate, but the feast of fools was seen as more offensive than the feast of asses.
At the annual Feast of the Ass, people celebrate all the donkeys mentioned in the Bible, but especially the one that is traditionally believed to have carried Jesus’ family to safety in Egypt after his birth. When this happened, the family was on the run from Herod the Great, who was ordering the deaths of young boys.
Another donkey mentioned in the Bible is the one Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. According to legend, there was also a donkey in the stable where Jesus was born.
Sometimes, young women would travel to church on a donkey through the streets of a town. People would sing about her being pregnant as she rode through the streets.
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When the donkey finally made it to the church, it was fed and watered and allowed to stand near the altar for the remainder of the service. The congregation would echo the priest’s bray, and on occasion the priest would join in. Beauvais, a city in northern France, went all out for the Feast of the Ass.
The Chester pageant’s rubric assumes the beast’s speaker is “in asina,” thus the prophet must have ridden on a wooden animal. As the action progresses, the ass confronts the angel about the rider.
After splitting from the main body, the Festum Asinorum spread out in many different ways. The Feast of Asses in the Beauvais record from the 13th century is a separate motif with its own origins and meaning.
The Ass’s position as the leader of the ancient line of prophets was not interrupted at Beauvais. However, on January 14, he completed a crucial task for the city’s celebrations.
A pregnant woman was carried to St. Stephen’s Church on an ash covered in a heavy cloth on the feast of the Flight into Egypt. The ass took his place at the altar, and the service commenced. A prose poem in Latin followed the introit.
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There Are Several Ways To Enjoy This Holiday
- Take some time to learn about Palm Sunday and the biblical flight to Egypt.
- Do a search for more references to donkeys in the Bible.
- A yodel or a donkey’s bray would suffice.
- Take a ride on your donkey, if you haven’t one yet.
- Say the line that was sung on that date in the Middle Ages: “An Oriental land supplied a lordly ass of the highest repute, so handsome, so strong, and so trim that no load was too much for him to bear.
Here Are A Few Basic Facts About These Interesting Critters
Extremely Infrequent
Donkeys range in size from as short as 26 inches to as tall as 68 inches.
Animals That Get The Job Done Efficiently
The digestive system of a donkey absorbs over 95% of what it eats.
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Putting In The Effort
A donkey’s bleating can be heard for up to 60 kilometres in the desert.
Superb Eyesight
donkeys are able to take in visual information from all four corners of their feet simultaneously.
When compared to a horse of the same size, a donkey is a more formidable opponent.
Conclusion
Animals of all kinds have our undying affection. They improve the visual appeal of our planet. For his travels, the Messiah relied on trusty donkeys. Surely that counts for something?
