Up Helly Aa is a winter festival that celebrates fire and the viking heritage of the Shetland Islands.
One of the highlights of the festival is when the squad of hundreds of wonderfully costumed vikings marches down from the village, each carrying a blazing torch. The squad pull and carry a beautifully designed and hand built viking boat, on which stands their leader, the Jarl. Eventually the boat is piled with burning torches and set adrift in the bay where it is consumed by fire.
The amount of fire on display is impressive and I’m quite surprised that larger fires aren’t started as a result of the sparks flying in the wind. I guess it’s a benefit of having marshy ground and generally wet Scottish weather.
Location: Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland