Shetland's annual Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival, celebrating the Norse heritage, saw women and girls joining the Jarl Squad for the first time. The 143-year-old event in Lerwick featured a torchlit procession and the burning of a replica Viking ship, marking a significant shift in the festival's tradition. The festival, which began in the 1880s, culminated with the burning of the Viking galley, symbolizing the end of the event.
Annual Viking-inspired fire festival of Up Helly Aa takes place in Lewick, Scotland https://t.co/88ORMrLjUL https://t.co/cF0ymL8ng6
Up Helly Aa fire festival climaxes with burning of Viking galley https://t.co/4dfp07jJu8
A long torchlit procession through the heart of the Shetland Islands culminated with the burning of a replica #Viking ship in an ancient ritual known as Up Helly Aa. #UpHellyAa https://t.co/N6G34rBV1P
Up Helly Aa began in the 1880s and celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage. For the first time, girls and women joined the Jarl Squad and led the procession through Shetland's capital, Lerwick 🏴 https://t.co/lhzzRtFxh6
Up Helly Aa fire festival to light up Shetland skies 🔥 Watch the live updates throughout the night here ➡️ https://t.co/Y2SmvBR6WZ https://t.co/yRrCEuIro6
Shetland's Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival is taking place in Lerwick - with a new prominence for women at the 143-year-old event. https://t.co/dDlAxUZ97t
Women and girls to join Shetland's annual Viking fire festival 'jarl squad' for first time Read more 🔗 https://t.co/M8Nr7JIoTm
Up Helly Aa: What happens at Shetland's Viking fire festival? https://t.co/KKI99hoQz4
An annual fire festival in Shetland is to have women involved in its “jarl squad” for the first time ✍️: Ryan McDougall https://t.co/5wlXRmb7fz