Viking galley ablaze during Fire Festival
Published: 30 January, 2008, 07:36
Tuesday night was lit by hundreds of torches in the most northerly part of the United Kingdom, during the traditional Nordic Fire Festival, or Up Helly Aa. Participants paraded through the Shetland capital town of Lerwick.
The festival dates back to the Dark Ages, when Viking conquerors thanked their gods for the coming of longer days.
Their modern day followers marched through Lerwick dressed in traditional Viking apparel. After the nightfall they did a torchlight procession towing a replica Viking galley built for the occasion.
After all the torchbearers arrived at the final resting spot of the galley, they form a circle round it and sing traditional songs before setting the galley afire. Once the flames die down, a night of partying begins.
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