Shetland celebrated their Norse heritage last night as they set alight a galley ship in Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa.
Over a thousand participants, dressed in Viking helmets and shields, took their flamed torches through the streets following their leader, the Guizer Jarl.
The Guizer Jarl’s galley boat is then set on fire is an extraordinary display, an echo of the cremations of Norse leaders.
Read more about the history of Up Helly Aa right here.
5. Women were allowed into the main torchlit procession at the Lerwick event for the first time last year
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6. Up Helly Aa echoes the long rule of the Kingdom of Norway over Shetland and the return of the sun following the darkest winter days.
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