Should you find yourself in Lerwick, Scotland, on the last Tuesday of January, you’ll witness a celebration to mark the end of Yule called Up Helly Aa. Here in the Shetland Islands, off the northern coast of Britain, the cultural influence of the Vikings is still felt. And when the Yule season comes to a close, many Shetlanders dress up like Vikings—it’s a tradition called ‘guising,’ short for ‘disguise.’ In their Viking costumes, they march the streets of Lerwick singing songs and delivering short comedic performances. Ultimately, a torchlight procession ends with the marchers setting a fake Viking galley ship ablaze. The name ‘Up Helly Aa’ is roughly translated as Up Holy All, an invitation for all to rise and join in the holiday revelry.
A winter’s holiday ends
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
-
A Festivus for the rest of us
-
Fossil Day
-
Falling for Rioja
-
It s harvest time on World Food Day
-
Happy Mothers Day!
-
World Sea Turtle Day
-
Get the bear facts
-
Green is the new black
-
International Womens Day
-
I am the walrus
-
Flag Day
-
An aviation celebration
-
Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
-
National Blueberry Day
-
Grand Teton National Park
-
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
-
Black History Month
-
Pride 2022
-
Go with the rainbow flow
-
Aerial view of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico
-
New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
-
Manatee Awareness Month
-
A long path to freedom
-
International Polar Bear Day
-
In orbit for Yuri s Night
-
A bull, some flowers, and a stratovolcano
-
A tree of many memories
-
Spring blooms in the Netherlands
-
Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier