Up Helly-Aa
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Up Helly Aa is the name given to a variety of fire festivals held in Shetland annually towards the end of winter. The festival involves a procession of guizers (or guisers) formed into squads processing through the town or village in a variety of themed costumes.
This procession culmintates in the torches being thrown into a replica viking longship or galley.
After the procession the squads vist local halls where private parties are held. At each hall each squad performs its act, this may be a send-up of a popular TV show or film, a skit on local events, or singing or dancing, usually in flamboyant costume.
The Lerwick Up Helly Aa is claimed by some to be Britain's biggest fire festival and torchlight procession. However this may have ben surpassed by a New Year event held in Edinburgh.
The Lerwick festival always takes place on the last Tuesday in January.
This festival-related article is a stub. You can help Biocrawler by expanding it (http://www.biocrawler.com/w/index.php?title=Up_Helly-Aa&action=edit).
