Song About A Donkey
A song that was typically sung at the Feast of Fools was called “a song of the ass,” which was about a donkey crossing the Jordan River to get to Bethlehem. Often, people would led a live donkey into a church while singing the song, which would usually cause more chaos.
Appeared In Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame
Victor Hugo included the Feast of Fools in his 19th century classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, where Quasimodo was crowned the King of Fools. The Disney animated film also featured this scene, but the name of the festival was changed to “Topsy Turvy Day.” As the song says: “It’s the day for breaking rules, Come and join the feast of Fools!” And just like the medieval Feast of Fools, the Disney song celebrates turning life upside down and making every man a king and every king a clown. “It’s the day the devil in us gets released, It’s the day we mock the prig and shock the priest.”