diff --git a/django/test/utils.py b/django/test/utils.py
index 71252eaac8..f10d388227 100644
--- a/django/test/utils.py
+++ b/django/test/utils.py
@@ -227,9 +227,10 @@ class override_settings(object):
 
 
 def compare_xml(want, got):
-    """Tries to do a 'xml-comparision' of want and got.  Plain string
-    comparision doesn't always work because, for example, attribute
-    ordering should not be important.
+    """Tries to do a 'xml-comparison' of want and got.  Plain string
+    comparison doesn't always work because, for example, attribute
+    ordering should not be important. Comment nodes are not considered in the
+    comparison.
 
     Based on http://codespeak.net/svn/lxml/trunk/src/lxml/doctestcompare.py
     """
@@ -267,6 +268,11 @@ def compare_xml(want, got):
                 return False
         return True
 
+    def first_node(document):
+        for node in document.childNodes:
+            if node.nodeType != Node.COMMENT_NODE:
+                return node
+
     want, got = strip_quotes(want, got)
     want = want.replace('\\n','\n')
     got = got.replace('\\n','\n')
@@ -279,8 +285,8 @@ def compare_xml(want, got):
         got = wrapper % got
 
     # Parse the want and got strings, and compare the parsings.
-    want_root = parseString(want).firstChild
-    got_root = parseString(got).firstChild
+    want_root = first_node(parseString(want))
+    got_root = first_node(parseString(got))
 
     return check_element(want_root, got_root)
 
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/test_utils/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/test_utils/tests.py
index dec157eacb..95913b5aab 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/test_utils/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/test_utils/tests.py
@@ -484,6 +484,11 @@ class XMLEqualTests(TestCase):
         with self.assertRaises(AssertionError):
             self.assertXMLNotEqual(xml_unvalid, xml2)
 
+    def test_comment_root(self):
+        xml1 = "<?xml version='1.0'?><!-- comment1 --><elem attr1='a' attr2='b' />"
+        xml2 = "<?xml version='1.0'?><!-- comment2 --><elem attr2='b' attr1='a' />"
+        self.assertXMLEqual(xml1, xml2)
+
 
 class SkippingExtraTests(TestCase):
     fixtures = ['should_not_be_loaded.json']