The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

Becoming Kaaskoningin (Cheese Queen) is a great honour. Every year, two members of the Events Commission Bodegraven are responsible for the continuation of the heritage by appointing a new Kaaskoningin. The new queen must either work in the cheese trade or be a family member of a cheese-making farmer, so that she has a lot of knowledge about the cheese-making craft and the maturing process. The Cheese Queen has two ladies in waiting who do not necessarily have to come from 'the cheese'. Apart from the queen and the two members of the ECB, only the tailor and the barber know who the new queen and her ladies in waiting are. It is the greatest kept secret for all residents of the village and villages around it. It is not until the parade on Thursday that the queen and her ladies are presented to the public. Entrepreneurs, sports clubs, emergency services and the children of all primary schools in Bodegraven take part in this procession with floats. The Kaaskoningin and ladies in waiting conclude the parade. The 1st prize for the most beautiful float, chosen by the ECB, is awarded by the Kaaskoningin in the evening. Each year, the festivities are linked to a theme that is suggested by the residents of Bodegraven.

At the end of the procession, at the Raadhuisplein, the Queen of the Cheese and her ladies meet the mayor who hands her the Staff of Bodegraven with which she will be in charge of the village of Bodegraven for three days.

This moment also marks the start of the three-day Autumn Fair. The Autumn Fair is not part of the tradition but during the Autumn Fair, the Kaaskoningin and her ladies-in-waiting do visit various events, including ring-tilting, cheese inspections, the opening of the cheese and flower show and the senior citizens' centre. A master of ceremonies accompanies the queen and her ladies during the entire event.

Community

Two members of the Evenementen Commissie Bodegraven, ECB (Bodegraven Events Committee) organise the election of the Cheese Queen. The ECB started out as a market committee for the organisation of the Autumn Fair, but since more than 10 years ago has organised the election of the Cheese Queen, the Autumn Fair, the Spring Fair and King's Day.

In total, there are around 5500 participants and visitors to the parade and the Autumn Fair.

History

The first cheese market was held on Tuesday March 21, 1882. For more than 100 years, on Tuesdays the centre of Bodegraven was filled with traders and farmers trading cheese.

The 1st Cheese Queen was crowned in 1952. The Cheese Queen was established because the cheese village Bodegraven needed its own queen who could be an ambassador for their most beautiful product: cheese.

The cheese market was abolished in June 2001. In order to keep the tradition of the cheese market alive, the Autumn Fair is held every year in September with a professional cheese inspection.

The Autumn Fair was originally a municipal affair, and, at the request of the municipality, the Autumn Fair committee chose the Cheese Queen. The festivities then ran from Thursday to Tuesday. In 2006, the municipality transferred the selection of the Cheese Queen to the ECB. The municipality felt that organising events no longer fitted in with its duties as a government institution.

From the beginning it was always a big secret for all residents of the village and surroundings who the new Cheese Queen would be. For a number of years, from 1953 to 1968, there was no Cheese Queen, because a number of important inhabitants of Bodegraven thought that there was only one queen in the Netherlands, and that was Queen Juliana. This decision was greatly regretted by the people of Bodegraven at the time.

Despite all the changes, the Queen of the Cheese still has 'cheese' running through her veins. She is still the ambassador of cheese.

Safeguarding

Safeguard actions 2021-2024

  • Because many visitors from abroad come to 'Landal De Reeuwijkse Plassen', a multilingual flyer will be made to inform visitors inside and outside the village about the Cheese Queen and Autumn Fair.
  • A quiz will be developed for primary schools as well as a promotional film that can be shown at schools.
  • By dividing the archive into knowledge, video and pictures, the archive will be made as complete as possible. An action plan will be drawn up for this.
  • More volunteers will be recruited through local social media and sports clubs.
  • The familiarity of the Cheese Queen will be increased among visitors outside the village core.
  • With a view to the enforcement of laws and regulations, good communication with the municipality and emergency services, entrepreneurs, and residents and volunteers will be encouraged. Information is exchanged through meetings.

Contact

Gemeente Bodegraven-Reeuwijk
Raadhuisplein 1
2411 BD
Bodegraven
Zuid-Holland
Netherlands