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.
14. In 1840, the party escalated further with burning tar barrells rolled through the streets on a bogie with a “motley mob” in masks
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15. At night, the halls in and around Lerwick are full of guests awaiting the arrival of the squads.
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