Up Helly Aa

These are fire festivals held in Shetland, annually in the middle of winter to mark the end of the yule season. The Largest, the Lerwick festival, originating in 1881, involves a procession of up to a thousand 'guizers' (or actors). Up Helly Aa day involves a series of marches culminating in a torch-lit procession and the burning of a galley. After the procession, the squads visit local halls where private parties are held and at each venue each group performs its entertainment act.