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Watch: Mexico festival honours donkeys above workers on Labour Day

On Donkey Day the animals are decked out in costume and play polo
On Donkey Day the animals are decked out in costume and play polo Copyright  Reuters
Copyright Reuters
By Reuters
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The festival was created 60 years ago when the town decided the animals on which it relies deserved a day of their own.

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While most of Latin America celebrates Labour Day on May 1, the rural town of Otumba, Mexico, celebrates the hard-working donkey.

Thousands of families turned out for the traditional Donkey Day festival, which is a twist on traditional Labour Day events honouring the worker throughout Latin America.

Races and polo matches were featured as spectators fawned over donkeys dressed from head to hoof in costume.

The 16th-century town created the festival about 60 years ago, when they decided these hard-working animals on which they relied deserved a day of honour of their own.

The animals were central to the town's activities transporting and distributing local goods, particularly a pre-Columbian alcoholic drink called pulque.

Video editor • Nathalie Texier

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