Shetland celebrates its Norse heritage with festival of Up Helly Aa

Shetland is an island group that lies to the north-east of Scotland. The islands are some 50 miles (80 km) to the northeast of Orkney and 170 miles (280 km) southeast of the Faroe Islands forming part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. In Lerwick, the capital of Scotland's Shetland Islands, a fire festival named Up Helly Aa is held every last Tuesday in January. Other smaller such festivals are also held on other parts of the Shetland Islands.

Tonight (30th January) the 2018 festival of Up Helly Aa is underway with a procession of 1000 guizers to celebrate their Norse heritage. There is a Guizer Jarl (Chief Guizer) who leads a Jarl Squad, which is one of the many Guizer squads participating in the event. Dressed in Viking clothing and marching through the town with battle axes and torches, they drag with them a ceremonial Viking longboat. Thousands of spectators line the route. At the end of the procession, the guizers throw their torches onto the longboat and set it alight. As the flames begin to subside, the traditional song "The Norseman's Home" is sung and a night of celebration takes place. Words to the songs sang at Up Helly Aa can be found on the official website.