Up Helly Aa
January 27 · Level 6 · #941 of 2238
Up Helly Aa is a fire festival on the Shetland Islands that marks the end of the Yule season with a good dose of Viking drama. Its biggest procession takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January.
How it is celebrated: costumed guizers march through the streets with flaming torches, then hurl them into a replica Viking galley. The night goes on with visits to halls, where squads perform comic acts.
The galley is built by hand over many months, yet it burns in only a few minutes.