32 posts tagged “donkey wednesday”
The Palio degli Asini is an annual donkey race in Alba, Italy.
The race traces its origin to the 13th century. For years, Alba and its neighboring town, Asti, had been engaged in a turf war. On Aug. 10, 1275, the feast day of Alba’s patron saint, San Lorenzo, soldiers from Asti launched an attack, devastating orchards and vineyards around Alba’s city walls. Following a hometown tradition, the Asti warriors raced their horses around the town walls. According to legend, inside the walls the citizens of Alba raced their donkeys in response — an indication, one Web site claims, of what they thought of the conquerors and their ritual.
Through the years Asti conducted a horse race and pageant, like Siena’s world-famous palio. But, Alba’s jockeys won the Asti race so often that the hosts stopped issuing invitations to its rival. So in 1932, Alba decided to stage its own palio — with donkeys. _*_
The nine historical districts of Alba compete to packed bleachers. The victor gets the palio, a prized tissue painted by a known artist. Then they all get down to the serious business of parading in historical costumes and synchronized flag waving (sbandieratori). Italians certainly know how to conduct festive occasions.
They have these races all over Italy it seems: Turin, Camari, Navelli, Calliano, Montafia, etc…
According to the article at Stars & Stripes Asti's Palio degli Asini is always held on the first Sunday in October, but I’m pretty sure that they mean September. Other places I looked also said the first Sunday in October. However they state that this year’s winner is Acciuga ( "Anchovy" in English) but it isn’t October yet. If any of you world travelers can clear this up for me, I’d appreciate it.
They go on to point out that he teams used to prank each other but that now there are veteranerians on site to protect the well-being of the donks. No doping the donks.
This image is from a great
flickr stream of the race.
Alba is also Italy’s truffle
capital.
Also, I'd pay money to do this:
I found a new game called Time Donkey. The player gets to control a donkey who travels through time and eats tacos. Now if I weren't already sold on the very concept of a time-traveling taco-eating donkey game these recommendations at the Blurst site would have cinched it for me:
"Better than all those other donkey games."
"The donkey travels through time against his will, but the tacos are delicious."
In the game you steer the donkey around to eat floaty tacos. When the time runs out the donkey is returned to the starting point (some sort of transporter pad?). The clock starts again and you steer the donkey around to get tacos while his past-donkey-self repeats his previous actions. Pretty soon you have a whole herd of donkeys, existing at various points on the time continuum, running all over looking for donkeys. It's like The Falconer, except the donkey is the Falconer and the tacos are Donald. But you eat the tacos rather than saving them from destruction.
I'm certain that this version of this DW post will not be as happy and humorous as the last two posts, which Vox kindly ate.
The only thing I learned from Livestock guardians : using dogs, donkeys, and llamas to protect your herd by Janet Vorwald Dohner (other than that you can use a donkey to protect your herd) is this:
Now on with the pretty pictures!
Other burros don't know how to act.
Actually, I got nuthin. But here is a lovely donkey who has a MySpace page. He is an avid supporter of the ethical treatment and rescue of donkeys. And who can't get behind that?
Barold the MySpace donkey.
Well, while I was away from Vox, it appears that nothing has improved in the editor. I still can't get my pictures to move and if I use the arrow keys it magically pastes an image of my homepage in the text box. It's just like being home.
Hey, look! It's Jo-Jo The Melon Donkey! Do you know his story?
Jo-Jo was a donkey. He had all the normal self-image issues book donkeys have. He is owned by a fairly petty guy who sells melons in the poor part of Venice (I'm guessing 17th century). One day dude decided that he is going to go to sell his melons at Piazza San Marco where the rich people shop. Jo-Jo and his melon get-up was a pretty low-class looking affair. He looked especially ragged next to the huge Greek horse statues in front of the Basillica. People, who are basically shitty, thought it would be cool to mock him.
But the mocking stopped when the Doge's daughter came out to play, bought a melon, and petted J-J. Then they could not buy his melons fast enough.
From then on Jo-Jo carried his melons to the Piazza everyday. And the Doge's daughter visited him every day. Life was relatively good (for a beast of burden).
I don't want to ruin the story for you but I will tell you this much:
The donkey doesn't die in the end.
=D
Rainy Day Playlist:
The Clash- In The Pouring Rain
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Who’ll Stop The Rain
Graham Parker- Thunder And Rain
Grace Jones- Walking In The Rain
Mary Lou Lord- Cold Killburn Rain
Scott Walker- It’s Raining Today
Nick Lowe- Raining, Raining
Tony Joe White- Rainy Night In Georgia
Fred Neil- A Little Bit Of
Rain
Robyn Hitchcock- Raining Twilight Coast
Tom Waits- A Little Rain
B.J. Thomas- Raindrops
Keep Fallin’ On My Head
Pink Slip Daddy-It’s Gonna Rain
Hi, everybody. Betty Page dropped by to wish you all a Happy Donkey Wednesday.
How'd all these donkeys get in my office?
Gratuitous Picture of Yourself (Donkey) Wednesday comes complete with an unrelated cover song for your listening enjoyment.
Until next time, y'all!
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