Scottish Island Pays Fiery Tribute To Viking Past

LERWICK, United Kingdom, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2017 ) : On a remote Scottish island, a longship was being prepared Tuesday for immolation by a squad of vikings in one of the most dramatic fire festivals in the world.

"Up Hella Aa" takes place every January in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands, which lie in the middle of the North Sea around 400 miles from Edinburgh. The Shetlands are closer Norway than mainland Scotland and their residents are fiercely proud of their Norse heritage.

Some 60 vikings will parade on Tuesday through Lerwick, Shetland's biggest settlement, trailed by around 1,000 torchbearers known as "guizers" -- dressed in eclectic costumes, from superheroes to pop bands -- who will end their procession by throwing their torches into the replica longship.

Every year, an experienced viking is appointed to lead the parade and becomes known as Guizer Jarl, from the old norse word for "chief". Lyall Gair, 37, from the nearby town of Quarff, has been preparing to become this year's Guizer Jarl for 15 years.

"Everything is pretty personal, from the suit design to the way you want your galley finished," he told AFP. "It all ties into a saga and the history of the vikings," he said.