Up Helly Aa

[sarabande]

it's a bit too late to make arrangement to see the fire festival this year, but has anyone been/ seen it, and if so, what's it like, please ?

 

[snowleopard]

Try reading Ben Fogle's Offshore. He gives an interesting account of it.

 

[heimdal]

For anyone interested, there's an article here

http://shetlopedia.com/Lerwick_Up_Helly_Aa

also there will be streaming video of the event from 4pm on Up Helly Aa Day, Tuesday 25th assuming there is enough bandwidth available. The torchlit procession starts at 7.30pm, the light-up of the torches is spectacular.

http://visit.shetland.org/shetland-webcams

under the '60 North TV' heading.

There are a quite a few clips of previous UHAas on Youtube

 

[boomerangben]

I'm going to be in Shetland for it this year, so I hope to go and have a look. Heard many a story, but it basically sounds like a 24 hour drinking session during which a longboat gets burnt. There is a lot more to it than that but outwardly that's is what it seems to a Soothmoother (local term for anyone who has the temerity to come from any where south of Fair Isle)

 

[wheels]

I was told a soothmoother was one who arrived by the south entrance to Lerwick between the Knab and Bressay