Bonkers British Festivals no3: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling

This happened yesterday, actually. And it's another one which looks suspiciously dangerous. Despite involving cheese.

Basically, on each Spring Bank Holiday, a village in Gloucestershire rolls a large local cheese down a particularly steep hill. And then a whole bunch of people race down the hill in order to catch the cheese. I'm not sure how many people have actually succeeded - turns out the nine pound cheese can reach speeds of around 70 mph (110km/h) and is pretty lethal with momentum! But what makes this seemingly mundane tradition famous, is the crazy falling, flinging and rolling of the humans.

There are ambulances on hand these days, and injuries / hospitalisation are common - from falling down the hill, or being hit by the thunderous cheese... In fact recent competitions have apparently used a safer, foam cheese instead. And burly 'catchers' are employed to catch the flying people at the end of the race. The full title of the event: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake, does make one wonder what the 'wake' actually refers to*!

Winners - basically the first to the bottom of the hill - receive a real cheese as their prize.

This festival is another one which now draws spectators and participants from around the globe. But like the Ottery Tar Barrels, it's an old, local event with obscure origins. Not much has been recorded about it historically, and theories range from roots in a Pagan fertility rite or celebration of Spring (using other foods), to a ritual  left by Phoenicians occupying Southern Britain (?! sounds iffy). Until recently, cheese-rolling was held on Whit Monday - a moveable date in the Christian calendar.

There seem to be current issues with the organisation of this event, its safety, crowd sizes and other things. It still runs, but seemingly in a rather loose way! Today several cheeses of varying size are also rolled, and there are a few heats of the race.

The cheese itself is Double Gloucester - a reddish, semi-hard, fairly strong-tasting one from the region. Quite nice melted on toast, actually. Though you might feel differently if hit by a 110 km/h, hurtling nine pounds of it.

Bit more about event arrangements here: https://www.facebook.com/BrockworthCheeseRoll/

*English learners: a 'wake' usually refers to a vigil, or solemn, social reception after a funeral. But apparently it can also mean 'festival' in some parts of the UK. 
'Iffy' is informal British English. It means unlikely, unreliable or suspicious. 

Also on this blog:

Bonkers British Festivals no2: The Burryman

Bonkers British Festivals no1: The Ottery Tar Barrels