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.

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What is Up Helly Aa Shetland?

Up Helly Aa is the biggest of the fire festivals that take place in the winter months in Shetland. This Viking themed fire festival takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January – but is cancelled in 2021 and 2022.

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.

When was Up Helly Aa last Cancelled?

Event has been cancelled before In 1965, Up Helly Aa was postponed one week because of Winston Churchill’s death. All going well, should no further major restrictions be implemented, torches and the galley will burn long into the night on Tuesday January 31, 2023.

Why does Shetland celebrate Up Helly Aa?

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.

Was Shetland ever part of Norway?

Shetland (Old Norse: Hjaltland), also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in the Northern Atlantic, between Great Britain, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost part of the United Kingdom, and lies 1° West of the Prime Meridian….Shetland.

Location
Largest settlement	Lerwick

What is Up Helly Aa kids?

Up Helly Aa is a spectacular fire festival that takes place in Lerwick, Shetland, on the last Tuesday of January. It takes many members of the community, who volunteer their time over the year, to organise Up Helly Aa. Most of the preparations are top secret!

What is Up Helly Aa 2022?

Description. Up Helly Aa 2022 is the seventh annual release of our limited-edition Up Helly Aa series, released every January to celebrate the annual fire festivals held throughout Shetland.

How did Up Helly Aa begin?

Festival Roots Burning tar often spilled as the men tried to navigate sledges along the narrow streets, causing damage to properties. Tar-barrelling was banned in 1874 in an attempt to stop such practices. The young men refined their activities, resulting in the first Up Helly Aa torchlight procession in 1881.

What is Vikings and Up Helly Aa festival?

Up Helly Aa is a legendary festival in Scotland to celebrating the arrival of the Vikings. It’s an ancient festival of fire that has incorporated a salute to the Vikings who colonised this part of Europe in the 8th century. This part of Scotland remained a Norwegian province until 1472.

What does DA mean in Shetland?

Concessionary fares

Shetland Word	Meaning
Creepie	stool
Creepie Crawlies	insects
da	the
Da Day	today

What does Peerie mean in Shetland?

small, little, tiny
peerie (comparative peerier, superlative peeriest) (Orkney, Shetland) small, little, tiny.

What is Up Helly Aa?

Who wrote the song Up Helly Aa?

In 1894 Haldane Burgess, a Shetland author, wrote the book The Viking Path which was a major influence in creating the Viking theme of the Up Helly Aa festival. Burgess also wrote the Up Helly Aa Song which is sung at the burning of the replica longship and elsewhere.

What happened at the Lerwick Up Helly Aa?

There appears to be no record of the Tar Barrel type of activity which was associated with the Lerwick Up Helly Aa, but every Christmas night saw large bonfires being lit on Garriock’s pier to celebrate the festival. In 1898 a Viking Galley appeared in the procession for the first time, and was burnt on the pier on New Year’s Day.