Photography from Shetland’s unique Up Helly Aa viking fire festival
Below are some personal favourites I have shot over the years.
Up Helly Aa is Europe's largest viking fire festival and unique to the Shetland Islands. Shetland's famous fiery spectacle, Up Helly Aa, is an event steeped in culture and history that established itself on the islands' event calendar at the end of the 19th century. Held annually on the last Tuesday in January - no matter the weather - the celebrations draw many thousands of locals and visitors from far and wide.
The day begins with the Guizer Jarl (the main figure of the day) and his Jarl Squad marching through the town centre in traditional viking attire to the Market Cross, where they will receive a roaring welcome from locals, visitors and the torch makers. The purpose of this visit is to view the Bill (proclamation), sing the festival’s praises and give three cheers. The thirty-foot galley ship will then be transported through the town to the Alexandra Wharf, where its intricate craftmanship and fine detail can be admired throughout the day until it is hauled to the burning site later in the evening. The Guizer Jarl has freedom of the town all day, during which he and his squad visit many of the local schools, care centres and the Shetland Museum, as well as attending a civic reception in the Lerwick Town Hall.
It is at night that the event really comes into its own. Preceded by the junior procession (at 5.30pm), the main event sees over 900 guizers in fancy dress assemble to receive torches for the main light up. The Jarl Squad then leads the senior procession (at 7.30pm) with the Jarl at the helm of the galley as they march through the streets of Lerwick. Through the town, they sing and pay homage to a tradition that is firmly in their hearts. The march finishes as they circumvent the galley (now at its final resting place) and await the sounding of a bugle, which signals the time where their torches are thrown into the longship to form a roaring fire. The fire rages and the galley fades until nothing remains.
This is not the end of the night, but only the beginning. For the next 12 hours, these guizers will visit a number of public halls to perform a carefully-rehearsed act and dance. Funnily enough, the following day is a public holiday to give everyone a chance to recover, until next year!
For more info visit uphellyaa.org.
