The Gloucester Cheese Rolling, also known as the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, is an annual event conducted in Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, on the Spring Bank Holiday. The event, which typically occurs on the last Monday of May, will occur on May 29 this year. For the Cheese Rolling and Wake, participants race down Cooper’s incline, a 200-yard-long incline, as a round of Double Gloucester cheese rolls down the hill. The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling was originally a Brockworth, England, tradition; however, participants now come from all over the globe.
HISTORY OF CHEESE ROLLING IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Originally, the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling was held on Whit Monday. The holiday was then shifted to the Spring Bank Holiday. The earliest mention of cheese rolling dates back to 1826, when a message was sent to the town crier of Gloucester. Even at that point, it was believed to have been a long-standing custom.
There are currently two hypotheses regarding the origin of the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event. According to the first origin story, the ceremony evolved from a requirement ritual for the upkeep of grazing rights among commoners. Second, it evolved from pagan origins characterised by the custom of rolling objects downhill. It is believed that bundles of smouldering brushwood were rolled down the hill to represent the arrival of the New Year following the winter. Another tradition associated with this belief is the Master of Ceremonies dispersing cookies and candies at the summit of the hill while conducting business. It is considered a fertility rite to encourage the harvest’s bounty.
For the 1982 edition of the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling, a team of students from the University of Bristol arrived to record the event on film using cameras, one of which was set to slow motion in order to capture graphic details. In 1993, just over a decade later, 15 people, including four who suffered severe injuries, were injured during the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling, leading to its cancellation in 2009. Candis Philips and Sara Stevens resurrected the occasion in 2011.
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5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GLOUCESTERSHIRE
The most well-known landmark
The cathedral, which has existed since the seventh century, is Gloucestershire’s most recognisable landmark.
The location of J.K. Rowling’s origin.
The popular “Harry Potter” series author was born in Yate, Gloucestershire.
The location of Robert Raikes’ birth
Born in Gloucester, Anglican civilian Raikes founded the Sunday school movement in the United Kingdom.
The origin of the Old Spot pig.
The historic breed of hogs known as Gloucestershire Old Spots is named after the city of Gloucestershire.
The location of Forest of Dean
West of the county of Gloucestershire is the ancient Forest of Dean, one of the earliest in the United Kingdom.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE CHEESE ROLLING DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | May 30 | Monday |
| 2023 | May 29 | Monday |
| 2024 | May 27 | Monday |
| 2025 | May 26 | Monday |
| 2026 | May 25 | Monday |
