Chasing the Cheese
A ceremony took place each Whit Monday. It may have evolved from a pagan custom of rolling things down hills. A burning bundle of brushwood rolled down the hill represented the birth of the new year. Buns and sweets were scattered to encourage fertility and good harvest.
Since the 15th century, a cheese has been rolled downhill and it has gained in popularity ever since. At the Coopers Hill Cheese Roll near Gloucester, a 7lb round of Double Gloucester is rolled. In theory, participants should try to catch the cheese, however, the cheese reaches speeds of 70 mph and could seriously hurt anyone in it's way.
The event has been summarized as "20 young men chasing a cheese off a cliff and tumbling 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to hospital." But there are also races for women and another for children. The winner gets the cheese.
As you can see, it's a pretty steep grade. Picture by Adam Wood.
Read more at the Official Site. http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm
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