Up Helly Aa: The Feast, The Dance, The Song

Shetland’s famous Up Helly Aa celebrations are most well-known for the Viking Jarl’s Squads, the torchlit processions and the burning galleys. But our fire festivals are about much more than that.

This blog post and film are inspired by the line "in the feast, the dance, the song" from The Galley Song, which captures the spirit of Up Helly Aa and the sense of celebration and togetherness.

Among those interviewed are hosts and hostesses who help get the halls ready for a night of revelry, musicians who play at the festivals around Shetland, and volunteers who prepare a mountain of food to keep guests sustained through the night.

The film gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of Up Helly Aa festivals and shows how deeply involved local communities are in arranging these spectacular events every year. It also demonstrates why Up Helly Aas are such important events for many of those lucky enough to call Shetland home.

At the heart of each of our spectacular fire festivals is the local community.

The 11 fire festivals that take place around the islands each winter are community events, organised by and for people in those communities as well as welcoming visitors from around the world.

These spectacular events bring people together in preparation and celebration, helping unite communities and provide opportunities for social bonding throughout the winter.

Although each Up Helly Aa is different there are similarities, with each being led by a Jarl’s Squad of Vikings, joined by other squads of guizers (so-called because they wear disguises) for a torchlit procession followed by a galley burning,

While that is spectacular, it is just the start of the night’s entertainment with each squad visiting halls where guests gather to watch them perform an act – usually a dance, comedy skit, or musical show.

In these halls, people of all ages enjoy a night of fun and partying. And like any good party, that includes music, dancing, chatter, food, and drink until the small hours.

Another similarity between all our fire festivals is that you’ll hear songs including The Up Helly Aa Song, The Galley Song and The Norseman’s Home.

These songs are part and parcel of the Up Helly Aa tradition and have a history as old as the event itself. Music and singing are integral parts of the festivities.

The Norseman’s Home is sung as the galley is burnt, but you may hear The Up Helly Aa Song and The Galley Song performed with gusto at just about any point during Up Helly Aa day (and night).

The latter song includes lyrics that capture the sense of celebration and togetherness.

“Every guizer has a duty, when he joins the festive throng.

“Honour, freedom, love and beauty; In the feast, the dance the song.”