Festival celebrates Viking history
On 17 February, the Jorvik Viking Festival in York, England, had its grand finale. The week-long festival is an annual celebration of York’s rich Viking heritage. Vikings were originally from Scandinavia, an area in northern Europe. In AD866, a group of Vikings invaded York and settled there. They called the city “Jorvik”.
Historians have learned lots about Vikings from objects they left behind, such as jewellery, shoes, cups and bowls. In 1972, experts even found a perfectly preserved Viking poo.
This year was the 40th Jorvik Viking Festival. A Viking encampment was set up in the city, where people showed traditional crafts, such as woodwork and jewellery-making. Visitors could also watch re-enactments of battles, or get involved in Poo Day, which is a chance to learn about the historical secrets held in ancient poo.
On 17 February, 300 adults and children took part in a traditional march through the city centre. To finish off the festival in the evening, there was a special show telling the story of Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology. This is a series of legends that developed in Scandinavia.
People travelled from all over the UK to this year’s Viking festival. Three members of a group called Odin’s Raven Guard travelled 200 miles on foot from Ipswich to attend the event. They were inspired by the journey of the Vikings who first invaded England. The walk to the festival, which was completed in traditional Viking clothes, also raised money for three charities.
York is home to the Jorvik Viking Centre, which opened in 1984. To mark its 40th anniversary, and to celebrate the lasting effect that the Vikings had in Britain, Royal Mail has released a special set of stamps. They feature images of Viking artefacts, including a sword, a bronze badge and a silver penny, and important locations from Viking history. David Gold from Royal Mail said, “We hope these stamps will inspire people to explore this fascinating period in Britain’s history further.”