Shetland on fire as thousands gather for Up Helly Aa festival
● Event celebrates Viking heritage with parades and longboat burning
Members of the Jarl Squad set fire to their Viking longship as thousands gathered for the Up Helly Aa Viking festival on Shetland last night. The spectacle, which attracts visitors from around the world, takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January each year
Thousands of people gathered for the world famous Up Helly Aa fire festival on Shetland last night.
The spectacle, which attracts visitors from around the world, takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January each year.
Hundreds of people joined the morning parade, led by the 58-strong jarl squad wearing winged helmets, sheepskins and carrying axes and shields, through the streets of the town to recreate its ancient Viking past, in a tradition that dates back to the 19th century.
The procession was led by the Guizer Jarl, or chief guizer – this year the role was taken by Lyall Gair, 37, dressed to represent Sweyn “Forkbeard” Haraldsson.
The celebrations – which also included a civic reception, school and care home visits and a torchlight procession after dark – culminated in a replica longboat being set alight.
Work begins months in advance to ensure everything is ready for the celebrations, which often continue until 8am the following day – a public holiday on the island.
Volunteers are responsible for the building of the galley boat and the production of more than 1,000 torches.
Those taking part in the festival spend the night visiting a host of celebrations in halls around Lerwick, and the party is sure to be helped this year with special edition gin and cider distilled for the festival.
Shetland and neighbouring Orkney were ruled by the Norse for about 500 years until they became part of Scotland in 1468.
Despite its celebration of the island’s Viking past, Up Helly Aa is a relatively modern festival.
First records date a winter festival to 1824 when a visiting minister wrote: “The whole town was in an uproar: from twelve o’clock last night until late this night blowing of horns, beating of drums, tinkling of old tin kettles, firing of guns, shouting, bawling, fiddling, fifeing, drinking, fighting.”
The Viking element was adopted into the festival in the late 1870s, when a group of young men were looking for fresh ideas to incorporate into Shetland’s Christmas celebrations.
Most towns and villages in Shetland have their own versions of the festival but the one in Lerwick last night is the biggest and best-known.
In 2015, local MSP Tavish Scott came to the rescue of his local island fire festival on the island of Bressay by volunteering to lead the event after the Guizer Jarl pulled out.
The Liberal Democrat, who lives and farms sheep on the island, wore Viking regalia and stepped out as Hans Siggurdsson, a 14th century Norseman with connections to Bressay and neighbouring Noss.
Normally the Jarl Squad has a special outfit designed and made over several months, but with such short notice Mr Scott and the festival committee only managed to organise woollen kirtles for his men. As a result the 20 warriors in his squad formed a motley crew with a wide variety of different designs on their shields, helmets and axes.
Mr Scott said: “It’s more authentic this way. If a Viking army was going into battle everyone would be dressed differently, wouldn’t they?”