Up Helly Aa

Up Helly Aa (ˌʌp_hɛli_ˈɑː literally "Up Haily [Day] Aa") is a series o twal fire festivals at tak plaess yearly fae January tae Mairch in Shetland, Scotland, tae mark da end o da yule saison. Ivry festival haes a torchlit procession by squads o folk in costume (kent as guizers) dat culminates in da burnin o a Vikin gelley. Da biggest festival held in Lerwick, Shetland's capital, haes a procession wi up tae a thoosand guizers wha march troo da streets o Lerwick on da haedmist Tuesday o January. Da idder rural festivals (kent as da 'country' Up Helly Aas) see peerier quantities o participants wi dir peerier populations.

Guizers at an Up Helly Aa festival in Uyeasound, Shetland Islands, February 2010

Fae it began, weemin an lasses ir been excluded fae takkin pairt as guizers in da Lerwick festival. Dis is become a controversial issue an is da subject o ongoin debaet in Shetland.

Origins

Da current Lerwick celebration cam fae da aalder yule tradeetion o tar barrellin dat took plaess at Christmas an Newardy as weel as Up Helly Aa. Squads o young meyn wid drag barrels of burnin tar troo da toon on sledges, makkin a onkerry. Concern ower public safety an levels o drunkenness led tae changes idda celebrations, an saa dem takkin inspiration fae da islands' Vikin history. Efter da abolition o tar barrellin aroond 1874–1880, permission wis eventually gotten fir torch processions. Da foremist yule torch procession tök plaess in 1876. Da foremist torch celebration on Up Helly Aa Day took plaess in 1881. Da followin year da torchlit procession wis improved and institutionalised troo a request fae a Lerwick civic boady tae hadd anidder Up Helly Aa torch procession fir da veesit o Alfred, Duke o Edinburgh. Da foremist galley wis biggit an brunt in 1889. Da honorary role o da 'Jarl' wis brocht intae da festival idda aerly twintiet century. Whaar mony sources claim ancient origins, da festival, an mony lik it, cam fae Victorian romanticism. Da naem itsel comes fae Upholiday, da Lowland Scots wird fir Twalt Day, an wis brocht by dem tae Shetland idda 19t century.

Da modern event

Da event taks plaess aa ower Shetland and eenoo is celebrated in eelivin locations – Scallowa, Lerwick, Nestin an Girlsta, Uyeasoond, Nortmavine, Bressa, Cullava, Norrik, Waas, da Sooth Mainland an Deltin. Der a head guizer wha is caaed da "Guizer Jarl" (pron. "yarl"). Der a committee dat a body most be pairt o fir 15 year afore dey can be a jarl, an ony ee body is elected tae da committee ivry year. Da procession culminates in da torches bein flung intil a replica Vikin longship or gelley. Efter da procession, da squads veesit local haals (includin sköls, sports centres an hottels), whaar private pairties ir held. At ivry haal, da squads perform dir acts, dat can be a send-up o a popular TV programme or film, a skit on local events or folk, or singin an dancin.

Some pairts o da festival ir been changed for da modern day; for example, as o 2020 da use o blackfaess is been banned at festivals in Shetland.

Meanin

According tae John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1818), up is ösed in da sense o somethin bein at an end, and comes fae da Aald Norse wird uppi dat is still ösed in Faroese and Icelandic, whaaras helly refers tae a holy day or festival. Da Scottish National Dictionary defines helly, maist likly derived fae da Aald Norse helgr (helgi idda dative and accusative case, meanin a holiday or festival), as a series o festive days, espeecially da period whaar Christmas festivities ir held fae 25th Dec. tae 5th Jan.", while aa micht represent a', meanin "all".

Lerwick Up Helly Aa gallery

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  1 – Da Guizer Jarl. Da Guizer Jarl is da head character idda celebration o Up Helly Aa, dat taks plaess on da haedmist Tuesday in January. Each Guizer Jarl taks da naem o a figure fae Norse legend. Dis een wis Flokki o da Ravens.
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  2 – Da Jarl's Squad. Da Jarl's Squad is meyd up o da Guizer Jarl's supporters. It is da main een o da mony squads, an da participants ir caaed guizers.
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  3 – The Galley. Each year a replica o a Vikin longship is biggit fir Up Helly Aa.
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  4 – Da Procession. Efter nichtfaa da longship is dragged troo da streets o da toon in a torchlit procession. Da torchbearers ir da members o aa da squads, leyd by da Jarl's Squad. Ivry squad picks a theme an dresses accordinly. Da themes ir very varied, some historical, some topical or satirical.
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  5 – Da Circle Roond da Gelley. Whin aa da torchbearers win tae da burnin site o da longship, dey form a circle roond it an sing da tradeetional Up Helly Aa song.
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  6 – Settin Lowe tae da Gelley. Efter da singin of da Up Helly Aa song, da guizers fling dir torches atidda longship.
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  7 – Da Burnin Gelley. As da longship is brunt guizers sing da tradeetional song "Da Norseman's Hom". Eence da flaems peter oot, da guizers ging on a nicht of pairtyin. Ony available muckle sized room is maed use o as a hall, presided ower by a hostess wha gies oot invitations tae attend, an ivry squad veesits ivry hall wan efter da idder tae dance an drink wi da guests. As der can be dizzens o squads an dizzens o halls, dis taks maist o da nicht and weel intae da followin morneen. Da day efter is da "Hop Nicht" whaar ferder dances and celebrations ir held.

See as weel

• Burnin da clavie
• Olavsfestival
• Ólavsøka

External links

• Up Helly Aa - offeecial website fir Lerwick festival