... DIFFERENTLY
The Vikings are on the loose again, at least in the Shetland Islands, where the locals revel in reliving the Middle Ages once every year. On the last Tuesday of January, the men dress as Norsemen complete with axes and torches, to celebrate Up Helly Aa, a traditional festival of fire. Carrying a longboat through the streets of Lerwick while gathering up to 1000 paraders, the participants march through the town and at the end of the procession throw their torches into the vessel, setting it ablaze in a spectacular offering to the gods of old. The women rejoin their men in the local pubs where the celebration continues well into the night.