Thanks Mona
I saw the rolling of the cheese on the tv but the same as you did not know
it was to do with Whitsun.....how many broken bones were there do you think?
thanks for sharing this
Pauline
----- Original Message -----
From: "mona everett" <mona_sydd_yma(a)yahoo.com>
To: <carmarthenshire(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 9:39 PM
Subject: Re: [CMN-L] Whitsun info
Found this interesting--we see the cheese rolling on the telly in the US
every year--never associated it with Pentecost! Would like to see it in
person some time, although I am waaay to old to chase the cheese now!
Mona
Whitsun (Pentecost) Pentecost is also known as
Whitsunday and is a major festival in the Christian church. It is
celebrated on the Sunday which falls on the 50th day after the Easter
festival.
The name Pentecost comes from a Greek word which means 'fiftieth'.
Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames
to the followers of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament. Jesus had
told them to wait until the Spirit came to them. Ten days after Ascension,
50 days after the resurrection, the Spirit came.
The festival is often called Pentecost because when the disciples
received the Holy Spirit and began to go out and preach about Jesus it was
the Jewish festival of Pentecost.
Pentecost is recognised as the birth of the Church. The Apostle Peter
preached a sermon which resulted in 3,000 people becoming believers. Whit
Sunday is a favourite day for baptism. It is thought that because people
are often baptised dressed in white, Whit Sunday was probably originally
known as 'White Sunday'.
Whisuntide is the week following with Whitsunday, which is always the
seventh sunday after Easter Sunday.
Customs and Traditions
Whit Walks
Christians in some towns and cities have traditionally taken part in Whit
Walks. Whitsun was the time for walks and processions. The traditional
"Procession of Witness" has long been celebrated throughout the North
West.
Bread and Cheese Throwing
In Gloucestershire, Whit Sunday is called 'Bread and Cheese Day' because
of a very strange custom.
In St Braivels, Gloucestershire, following evensong on Whit Monday,
basketfuls of bread and cheese are thrown from a wall near the old castle,
to be scrambled for in a lane below. The locals of St Braivels have been
hurling bread and cheese since the 13th century, when the custom began
probably as a payment for the villagers' right to cut timber from a nearby
wood.
Cheese Rolling
The first Sunday or Monday in May is a unique opportunity to witness the
ancient custom of cheese rolling.
Gloucester cheese Rolling. Randwick, Gloucestershire, England:
After rolling three double Gloucester cheeses around the church, one is
cut up and shared amongst bystanders and the other two are rolled down a
steep hill.
Stilton Cheese Rolling. Stilton, Cambridgeshire:
Teams of four, in bizarre costumes, roll stilton cheese along a 50-yard
course. They must not kick or throw the cheeses. The prize is a whole
Stilton Cheese, which weighs about 16 pounds, and bottles of port-the
traditional accompaniment.
Edam Cheese Rolling. Ide Hill, Kent:
Women chase a thrown edam cheese down the sloping village green during the
annual Whit Monday Fair
Cheese rolling also takes place in other areas around England.
Carmarthenshire Family History Society online indexes for people with
Carmarthenshire interests membership now being taken ......
http://www.carmarthenshirefhs.com
http://www.uk-genealogy-online.com
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