So what is Yorkshire Day?

It is the 1st August every year and a celebration of all things Yorkshire.

Every year on the 1st August Yorkshire Day is celebrated and promotes everything that is Yorkshire with the official Yorkshire flag being first unfurled in Hull in 2008. Since then the white rose of Yorkshire on the flag will be seen flying all around Yorkshire on 1st August.

Civic dignitaries gather for celebrations in many cities and towns of Yorkshire on Yorkshire Day.

Yorkshire is known as 'God's Own County' and Yorkshire is the UK's largest county, with a population of over 5 million which is almost twice the size of Wales.

Why celebrate Yorkshire Day? - because we love Yorkshire

It was first celebrated in 1975 by the Yorkshire Ridings Society as a protest but now Yorkshire men and women everywhere are proud to be from 'God's Own County'!

On Yorkshire Day members of the Yorkshire Ridings Society carry the Yorkshire flag and lead the annual walk around the walls of York. The Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity is read at the 4 Bars (Gates) in York annually on Yorkshire Day, one for each Riding and once for the City of York.

Yorkshire food

The most famous food associated with Yorkshire is the good old Yorkshire Pudding which we all have with our Sunday roast, but there are other foods associated with Yorkshire and here are some of them:

Yorkshire Curd Tart - has been around since the 1750s made with rosewater
Parkin - a sweet cake made with ginger, oatmeal and treacle
Wensleydale cheese - local pastures give the cheese its unique flavour
Ginger beer - a drink made with ginger and came from Yorkshire in the mid 1700s
Pikelets - similar to crumpets but much thinner
Chocolate - produced by several companies in York
Liquorice - sweet created by George Dunhill from Pontefract
Rhubarb - forced rhubarb is grown in the rhubarb triangle which is a 9 sq mile triangle between Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield
Yorkshire is home to the most breweries in the UK

Some Yorkshire Day events

Piece Hall, Halifax - re-opens - since opening in 1779, The Piece Hall has stood proudly in the heart of Halifax. It was originally built to support the trading of 'pieces' of cloth and has been a meeting point of the town's commercial, civic and cultural life for almost 250 years.

One of the UK's most significant heritage projects, The Piece Hall has undergone a £19 million conservation and transformation programme and will re-open to the public on Yorkshire Day.

At 10am on Tuesday 1st August, the bell above the west gate will be rung to echo the first day of trading way back on 1 January 1779.

Harlow Carr, Harrogate - a fun-filled day for the whole family from 10am - 3pm. Take part in the 'Adventure Games' at 1pm with flat cap throwing, Yorkshire pudding & spoon race and a Yorkshire Tea relay race. Bring a picnic, take part in the races and maybe win a prize or two...

East Riddlesden Hall - the traditional celebration of Lammas (loaf-mass) between 11am and 4pm. A bread-making demonstration will take place at 1pm in the historic kitchen, followed by the opportunity for visitors to ask questions and find out more about Lammas.

Wentbridge House - hosting a family fun day in support of Yorkshire Air Ambulance between 12 noon and 6pm. There is a whole host of things to do including seeing sheepdog and birds of prey displays, having a look at some classic cars or taking in some 'Yorkshire sports' such as flat cap flinging and welly wanging

Ribblehead - Northern has teamed up with the popular TV series, Walks Around Britain, to host a special walking event to celebrate Yorkshire Day..

Anyone who boards the 10.49am with a ticket from Leeds Railway Station to Ribblehead will have the opportunity to join Walks Around Britain, writer and presenter, Andrew White on a guided Yorkshire Day walk. The easy circular walk will form part of the Yorkshire day pilgrimage on foot and rail that takes in some of the most iconic scenery and sights along the famous Settle & Carlisle Railway in North Yorkshire.

York Maze - Annual Yorkshire Pudding tossing competition and Straw Bale race.

There will be music from the New York Brass Band and Tom Pearcy from York Maze will read out the Yorkshire Declaration prior to the start of the Yorkshire Pudding Tossing competition at 1.30pm. The child and adult with the biggest throws will be crowned winners.

The annual Straw Bale Race has become a Yorkshire Day tradition at York Maze. The aim of the contest is to roll a giant round bale of straw along a 50m course. Straw Bale racing takes place at York Maze throughout the day. There will be prizes for the fastest straw bale roll of the day with special categories for children.

White Rose Shopping Centre - Sheepdog demonstrations with a difference and a live brass band for visitors to enjoy. Shoppers can watch and even take part in duck-herding demonstrations at 12pm and 2.30pm.

Yorkshire Day on Social Media

Don't forget to spread your news about what you're doing on Yorkshire Day by using the hashtag #YorkshireDay to your tweet.

So if you're from Yorkshire wear your Yorkshire rose with pride, or even if you're not, join with us in the celebrations because today is #YorkshireDay