2011-02-04
Nesting & Girlsta Up Helly Aa
The Up Helly Aa is a fire festival involving a torchlit procession, the burning of a Viking longship and a ceilidh which lasts late into the night. The festival heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
The burning of the galley commemorates the way a Viking warrior was
cremated: by being pushed out into the sea in his trusty longship to
drift to Valhalla.
The event begins in the early evening with a torchlit fancy-dress procession headed by a lone Viking warrior, known as the jarl. The procession sets off from the Galley Shed and goes down to the seashore where the longship is burnt.
Once the fire has died down, everyone troops back up to either the
North or South Nesting Hall for square dancing, reeling and assorted
entertainment.
When: 4 Feb 2011
Where: South Nesting, Scotland
From: whatsonwhen.com
last modification: 2011-01-10