UP HELLY AA

Shetland’s legendary fire festivals bring together rural communities in spectacular fashion as our sensational photos show

SALLY COFFEY

Each winter, from January to March, a series of fire festivals take place across the Shetland Islands that recall the Viking heritage of the isles and light up the winter gloom. There are 11 Up Helly Aa festivals scheduled for 2025 and they are believed to represent the end of the winter holidays – ‘helly’ was an Old Norse word for holiday – as well as a celebration of the fact longer days are on their way. In these islands where rural communities are often cut off from each other in the long winters, it also offers a chance to get together, reconnect, and to really feel a part of something. Up Helly Aa Lerwick The foremost celebration, the Lerwick Up Helly Aa attracts thousands of visitors each year, and…

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Scotland (Digital) - 1 Issue, November - December 2024

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