Vikings blaze a trail to city

Published on Tuesday 30 December 2003 00:00

THEY came, they saw, and the rest carried thousands of burning torches through the historic streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town, as the city’s Hogmanay celebrations were ignited in spectacular fashion last night with the annual massive torchlight parade.

More than 12,000 people turned out for the event, which each year attracts more and more revellers as it becomes one of the major attractions in the four-day end of year party.

Starting at Parliament Square, the line of people, faces lit by the orange glow of the burning flames, snaked their way down The Mound, past the luminosity of the fairground shows, along Waverley Bridge, onto Princes Street then up Waterloo Place and onto Calton Hill, where the city’s street lights seemed to dim in the glow of the torches.

The procession was led by the Jarl Squad from Shetland’s world-famous Up-Helly-Aa Viking festival, their horned helmets clearly showing the way. And they were joined by the kilted clansmen of The Clann and the Bollywood Brass Band - all things Indian is the theme of this year’s Hogmanay celebrations.

At the head of the procession, however, was a 40ft Viking longship - the culmination of weeks of work and based on the design of the famous Gokstad ship, the 80ft longship discovered under a huge mound of blue clay south west of Oslo more than 100 years ago.

It was also pulled to the top of Calton Hill where it formed the centrepiece of a dramatic bonfire finale, which also featured music and fireworks.

And all along the route, hundreds of people braved the frosty evening to applaud and cheer as the torchlight bearers - the 5 for each torch will go to the One City Trust and the Radio Forth Help a Child Appeal - marched past. For the glittering procession is one of the major events where families can enjoy the special Hogmanay spirit before the big crowds arrive for the night itself.

While the event’s deliberate echoes of a pagan Norse ceremony attracted criticism when it was introduced in 1995, with some claiming the boat-burning ceremony should be confined to areas with a strong Viking tradition like Orkney and Shetland, instead of being imported to spice up Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, these days it’s an argument that cuts little ice with either the torchbearers or the watching crowds.

And as craftsman and designer Allan Ross - the man behind the construction of the longship - says: "They [Vikings] had a terribly bad press. They were pioneer shipbuilders, pioneer explorers, housebuilders, navigators and agriculturalists. The rape and pillage image is possibly the most sensational myth or just the one that sticks - I think they were great guys.

"Besides all that though, the procession is a spectacular event and really gets the Hogmanay celebrations off to a great start."