Hogmanay and cheese rolling could become protected as UK heritage

Hogmanay, cheese rolling and London’s Notting Hill Carnival could be among the cultural events and traditions to be officially recognised and protected in a new heritage list.

The Government will soon be seeking submissions from members of the public to nominate their favourite traditions that best reflect the nation, to be recorded in the new Inventory Of Living Heritage in the UK.

From weaving tweed to highland dancing, the UK-wide inventory will aim to start a conversation and raise awareness and keep track of the crafts, customs and celebrations that are valued across the country.

Competitors take part in the annual unofficial cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Ben Birchall

Heritage minister Baroness Twycross said: “The UK is rich with wonderful traditions, from Gloucestershire’s cheese rolling to folk music and dancing and the many heritage crafts that we practise, such as tartan weaving and carving Welsh love spoons.

“I would encourage everyone to think about what traditions they value so that we can continue to celebrate them, tell our national story to the rest of the world and safeguard the traditions that make us who we are.”

One of the traditions that could be recognised is the annual cheese rolling race, an event where competitors chase a wheel of cheese down a steep hill in Gloucestershire, that has been celebrated for centuries and thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

Dancers prepare to take part in 2024’s Notting Hill Carnival (Lucy North/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Lucy North

Other events may include Hogmanay, the Scottish word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with celebration of the New Year, and London’s Notting Hill Carnival which is an annual Caribbean event that has been running for more than 50 years and has become one of the largest street parties in the world.

The Government will work with the devolved governments to create the inventory, considering submissions from communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who practise living heritage and from those who practise traditions brought to the UK by immigrant communities.

This comes after the UK signed the 2003 Unesco Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Culture Heritage, which requires member states to compile an inventory of living heritage practised by communities in each country.

Highland dancing at the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering in Braemar (Andrew Milligan/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Andrew Milligan

Nominations will be considered under seven categories including performing arts, crafts and social practices such as festivals and customs.

Sports and games will also be a category along with oral expressions including poetry and storytelling, culinary practices, and nature, land and spirituality.