Up Helly Aa
helly aa upheleeah literally holy day type fire festival held annually january march various community shetland scotland mark end yule season festival involves torchlit procession squad costumed participant known guizers culminates burning imitation viking galley largest festival held lerwick shetland capital involves procession thousand guizers march street lerwick last tuesday january rural festival known country helly aa see lower number participant accordance lower population current lerwick celebration grew older yule tradition tar barrelling took place christmas new year well helly aa squad young men would drag barrel burning tar town sledge making mischief according shetland museum catalyst establishment helly aa boredom young men return fighting napoleonic war given opportunity see spectacle abroad concern public safety level drunkenness led change celebration saw drawing inspiration island viking history abolition tar barrelling around – permission eventually obtained torch procession first yule torch procession took place first torch celebration helly aa day took place following year torchlit procession significantly enhanced institutionalised request lerwick civic body hold another helly aa torch procession visit alfred duke edinburgh first galley fabricated burned haldane burgess shetland author wrote book viking path major influence creating viking theme helly aa festival burgess also wrote helly aa song sung burning replica longship elsewhere honorary role jarl introduced festival early twentieth century reality despite many source claiming ancient origin festival many like product victorian dogoodery lerwick uphelly aa first established total abstinence society give young men would otherwise drink silly something name derives upholiday lowland scot word twelfth day brought shetland island th century main guizer dubbed jarl pron yarl committee person must part year one jarl one person elected committee year procession culminates torch thrown replica viking longship galley event happens shetland currently celebrated eleven location – scalloway lerwick nesting girlsta uyeasound northmavine bressay cullivoe norwick waas south mainland delting procession squad visit local hall including school sport facility hotel private party held hall squad performs act may sendup popular tv show film skit local event singing dancing certain aspect festival changed modern day example use blackface banned festival shetland traditionally guizers main festival lerwick always male although woman joined march disguised costume however smaller rural festival include woman south mainland helly aa festival appointed female jarl starting festival restriction womens participation within squad lerwick removed according john jamiesons etymological dictionary scottish language used sense something end derives old norse word uppi still used faroese icelandic helly refers holy day festival scottish national dictionary defines helly probably derived old norse helgr helgi dative accusative case meaning holiday festival series festive day esp period christmas festivity held th dec th jan aa may represent meaning burning clavie olavsfestival ólavsøka helly aa official website lerwick festival