What happens in the Up Helly Aa festival?
Up Helly Aa (meaning Up Holy Day) is a huge spectacle, a celebration of Shetland history, and a demonstration of islanders’ skills. It harks back to Shetland’s Viking heritage. As well as the main event there is a junior version, just for kids, which takes place on the same day.
What is burned at Up Helly Aa?
Welcome to the official website for Up Helly Aa, which takes place in Lerwick, Shetland, on the last Tuesday in January every year. Up Helly Aa day involves a series of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch-lit procession and the burning of a galley.
Is Up Helly Aa 2022 Cancelled?
The 2022 festival due to take place on Tuesday January 25, 2022 has been put off due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the guidelines of hosting events and festivals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisers say they plan to postpone the festival until January 2023.
How many Helly Aa are there in Shetland?
There are 12 in total. The Lerwick Up Helly Aa attracts a global audience, but smaller festivals are also held in communities across the isles, including in Unst in the north, Bressay in the east, and throughout the Shetland mainland.
What is Shetland Up Helly Aa?
Up Helly Aa (/ˌʌp hɛli ˈɑː/ UP-hel-ee-AH; literally “Up Holy [Day] All”) is a type of fire festival held annually from January to March in various communities in Shetland, Scotland, to mark the end of the Yule season.
What is a HAA in Scotland?
A “haa” was a laird’s house, and a number were built across Shetland from the 1600s onwards. They tend to be characterised by a sense of solidity and permanence, and the Haa of Tangwick is no exception.
What is a Guizer Jarl?
The Guizer Jarl is the chief guizer who (in the modern festival) leads a squad dressed as Vikings, and are the primary focus of the festival’s proceedings.
Are shetlanders Vikings?
Both Shetland and Orkney became Viking, and later Norse, strongholds until 1469 when the rule was passed over to Scotland, bringing a close to over 600 years of Norse rule.
What does HAA mean in Shetland?
a laird’s house
A “haa” was a laird’s house, and a number were built across Shetland from the 1600s onwards. They tend to be characterised by a sense of solidity and permanence, and the Haa of Tangwick is no exception.