Every March, most of us begin thinking about change and renewal. Throughout history, people have celebrated spring’s arrival, and many cultures still do so today. If you’re one of those people, I’d like to tell you about a spring tradition that might be worth a trip to see. It doesn’t have anything to do with cherry blossoms, sunshine, or any of the other imagery we usually associate with spring.
No,thistradition involves “Twenty young men chasing cheese off a cliff and tumbling 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to the hospital.”
You know. As you do.
Every spring, England celebrates a special “bank holiday”. Many people gather at a place called Cooper’s Hill, where the inhabitants of a nearby village host the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. Racers from the United States, Australia, Nepal and many other countries line up at the top of Cooper’s Hill and stare down its steep slope. Glory awaits them at the bottom. Glory and a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.
Onlookers wait with bated breath.
Then, the cheese begins rolling down the steep decline. One second later, racers follow the cheese down the hill. The first one to make it to the bottom – with all body parts intact, anyway – wins the prize. The heavy cheese speeds down the steep hill at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, endangering racers and spectators alike. For safety reasons, a foam replica replaced the cheese block in 2013, and paramedics provide first aid at the bottom for those that need it.
No one knows the exact origins of this…shall we say, unique spring tradition. It probably dates to the druids of ancient times. Pagans would roll burning brushwood down a hill to represent the birth of the new year. Other people say that the tradition began as a requirement for maintaining grazing rights on the common area of the village. No matter the origins, the event honors the arrival of a new growing year. The Master of Ceremonies places buns, biscuits and sweets at the top of the hill to encourage the fruits of the harvest.
Here's why I think the tradition started.
Spring is a time of new beginnings. It’s a time when we emerge from our homes after the gloom of winter, happy and relieved to feel the warm breeze in our hair and the sun on our faces. It’s a time for stretching our legs. For trying new things. For seeking new adventures. It’s a time when we shed off what we were and become something new ourselves, even if the change comes in subtle ways. To me, this mad dash down a steep hill for a wheel of cheese is an expression of pure exuberance. It’s not only a celebration of spring, but of life.
It’s a way of saying, “Nothing will stop me from doing what I want to do. Trying what I want to try. Getting to where I want to go.”
That, to me, is what spring is all about.
So, if you want to watch a gaggle of people run down a hill chasing cheese this spring – who wouldn’t? – then head to Gloucestershire in May. If you want to participate, then you better start practicing. But even if you decide to celebrate the season with a little less vigor, the point is to celebrate! Go on an adventure. Try something new. Do whatever makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.
And above all, have a very happy spring!