Delting Up Helly Aa
History
The Delting Up Helly Aa (originally called the Brae Up Helly Aa), came about following cessation of the Brae Junior Up Helly Aa, originally organised by the Brae Junior High School. The junior festival was celebrated annually from 1970 to 1982 but the logistics of organising the junior festival became too great and it was discontinued. There was a period of overlap between the two festivals in 1981 and 1982 with the Delting Up Helly Aa continuing in its present form thereafter.
The Current Festival
Photo by Kozetland1.
The name of the festival changed from the "Brae Up Helly Aa" to the "Delting Up Helly Aa" in 2002.
In the current festival the Jarl's Squad muster at the Northern Lights Function Room at the Brae Hotel around 8am to toast the new Jarl. The Bill & Galley are on display at the Galley Shed beside the Brae Community Hall. Thereafter the Jarl and his Squad march to the Galley Shed for photos with the galley, and the Delting Up Helly Aa Flag is raised above the Brae Community Hall. There follows visits to the Lunnasting Primary School, Olnafirth Primary School, Brae High School and Mossbank Primary School during the day, as well as the Brae Police Station and the Northhaven Care Center.
In the evening the squads assemble at the Galley Shed in Brae at 6.30pm to receive torches ahead of the procession. The Guizer Jarl’s squad then passes up the ranks at 6.45pm, accompanied by a Brass Band. The lighting-up is at 7:00pm and the procession then moves off, singing the Up Helly Aa song, with the years Jarl in the Galley. The procession route passes north through Brae, turning west at the Brig o Brae and ending at the Delting Boating Club. The road through Brae is closed during the procession, except for emergency vehicles.
At the burning site the Guizers sing The Galley Song. Cheers follow for the Galley Builders, the Torch Makers, the Festival and the Guizer Jarl. A rocket then signals the Guizers to throw their torches into the Galley, which is then floated out, burning, into Busta Voe. The squads then sing "The Norseman's Home" before dispersing to begin their rounds of the halls. The Jarl’s Squad visit the Vidlin Hall first and then proceed in the opposite direction to the rest of the squads, ending their night at the Brae Hall.
Halls - in the order visited by the Jarl’s Squad.
1. Vidlin Public Hall, 2. Voe Public Hall, 3. Mossbank Hall, 4. Delting Boating Club, 5. Northern Lights Function Room, 6. Brae Community Hall
Delting Up Helly Aa by Year
Delting Guizer Jarls by Year
| Year | Name | Representing | Galley |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2012 |
Bryden Nicolson |
Anders Nicolassen |
Anfield |
Future Jarls
2013 Barry Anderson
2014 Peter Peterson
2015 Alan Jamieson
2016 Christopher Nicolson
2017 John Duncan
2018 Andrew Hall
2019 Philip Ross
2020 Ian Jamieson
2021 James Manson
2022 Daniel Johnson
2023 Dwayne Davies
2024 Paul Ratter
Billheads
All the previous Billheads are displayed in the ceiling of the Galley Shed - below are some of them. All photos by Kozetland1.
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Jarl's Squad Shields
Delting shields are on display in the Lunnasting Primary School, Olnafirth Primary School and Mossbank Primary School, although the majority are on display at the Delting Galley Shed. Photos by Kozetland1.
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