Viking Celebrations

MAVERICK

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Up Helly Aa - Britain's biggest fire festival and torchlight procession - is held in Lerwick, Shetland, on the last Tuesday in January to celebrate its Norse heritage


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Celebrations start early as the Jarl Squad, dressed in Viking costume, roam the streets and crowd on to the galley of an ornate 30ft wooden longship


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As the sun begins to set, the Viking procession continues through Lerwick


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Torches are lit as darkness falls, and about 900 costumed "guisers" line the streets


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Emotions run high as the Vikings march through the town


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The Viking longship is pulled through Lerwick, before flaming torches are thrown on to the galley and it is burned


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A member of the Jarl Viking Squad lights a flare as the festivities continue late into the night


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A young Viking holds his axe aloft and watches the longship burn









 
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