Ox and Donkey

Ox, the ox, is just about to enjoy his well-deserved dinner when he suddenly spots a tiny human baby in the hay. What on earth is that doing in his manger? And who put it there in the first place? Even Donkey, his stablemate, is baffled.

Then Donkey has an idea: Maybe this is the Baby Jesus? After all, he’d heard that Joseph was on his way to Bethlehem with his pregnant wife Mechthild—uh, Mary, or was it Michaela? And since all the hotels were fully booked, she went ahead and gave birth to her child in a stable. There it is, sleeping all alone, because the parents are probably stuck in the shopping chaos, the donkey thinks to himself. So what now? Someone’s got to take care of this crying child. And while the two stable mates are still debating who should take on which role in raising the child, there’s a knock at the stable door.

With plenty of humor, Norbert Ebel’s play “Ox and Donkey” tells a story of compassion, solidarity, and the courage to take on responsibility.