Vikings Celebrate Norse Heritage in Europe’s Biggest Fire Festival
1st February 2012
Europe’s biggest fire festival at Up Helly Aa in Lerwick, Shetland, occurs on the last Tuesday of January each year.
Almost 1000 costumed ”guizers”, wearing winged helmets, sheepskins and carrying axes and shields, march through the streets of the town to recreate its ancient past.
The procession is led by the Jarl Squad which earlier arrived in a Viking longboat.
They were going to sack a monastery on the mainland but decided that they didn’t want to be accused of homophobia.
And, of course, we have pictures.
February 2nd, 2012 at 12:35
Those must be those right wing extremists we keep hearing about from the Obama administration. I’ve been wondering what those guys looked like. Been keeping my eyes open for them for decades now and never ever ran into one.
February 2nd, 2012 at 13:16
“Been keeping my eyes open for [right wing extremists] for decades now and never ever ran into one.”
That’s because the right- and left-wing nonextremists have been keeping them at bay, for which we all need to give thanks.
If things go badly, that burning Viking ship in the picture could just as well be a field of burning crosses.
February 2nd, 2012 at 13:16
Or books, for that matter.