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Up Helly Aa
"Með lögum skal land byggja" (With law shall our land be built)
Do you feel the spirit of your Norse warrior ancestors stirring within you? Looking for an excuse to dive into a spectacular celebration? Then don your specially designed tartan, grab a torch, and prepare for Up Helly Aa! This fiery festival marks the grand finale of the Viking Yule season and is the largest celebration in Lerwick, Shetland. The festivities are nothing short of extraordinary: costumed participants march through the town, torches blazing, culminating in the dramatic burning of a replica Viking longship galley beneath the night sky.
Interestingly, Lerwick’s fire festival has its roots in the 1880s, evolving as a way to channel the restless energy of young men returning from the Napoleonic Wars. The earlier tradition of "tar barrelling"—where bands of young men dragged barrels of burning tar through the streets during the Christmas and New Year season—was transformed into the awe-inspiring Viking-inspired Up Helly Aa. Drawing from the islands’ rich Norse heritage, this event reimagined chaos into an enduring cultural tradition.
The Vikings left an undeniable mark on Scotland, shaping its culture, language, and territorial divisions during their incursions from the late 8th to the 11th centuries. Originally raiders, they soon established settlements, particularly in the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Hebrides and parts of mainland Scotland. Their influence endures in place names, such as those ending in "-ness" or "-ay," and in innovations they brought to seafaring and agriculture. The Earldom of Orkney became a Viking stronghold, a hub for exploration and conquest. Over time, Norse settlers intermarried with local populations, blending Norse and Gaelic traditions into a unique cultural tapestry. Scotland’s folklore, legal systems, and enduring sagas are all testaments to their profound legacy.
To honor this heritage, the specially designed tartan celebrates Viking ancestry with symbolic colors: white for life, green for hope, red for danger and strength, and shades of blue for the oceans and seas the Vikings so masterfully navigated. 💙 🖤 💚 🤍 ❤️ 🔥🔥🔥
Up Helly Aa, a celebration marking the end of the Yule season is still celebrated in the Shetland Islands with festivities including the sacrificial torching of a longship. Guisers playing the roles of the ancient inhabitants of the island, lead the celebrations and the torchlit processions throughout.
This tartan, designed by Jeffrey Renson is intended to pay homage to the Vikings. Colours: white is intended to represent life; green represents hope; red represents danger and strength and the shades of blue are intended to represent the waters of the oceans and seas sailed by the Vikings.
Shetland has a strong Scandinavian heritage and belonged to Norway until 1469, when Princess Margaret of Norway and Denmark was wed to King James 3rd of Scotland. Margaret's father didn't have enough money to pay for the wedding dowry and instead gave away Shetland (and Orkney) with the intention of buying the territories back at a later date but that never happened. Scandinavian influence is reflected in the language and over 90% of Shetland’s place names are Norse in origin!
For more about the festival, the biggest of which takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January, click the photo of 1920s reenactors on Shetland.