Up Helly Aa
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
Up Helly Aa is a fire festival which is currently (2010), celebrated annually at 10 locations throughout Shetland. The longest running, largest and most well known is held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January, and is the most synonymous with the term 'Up Helly Aa'. Those outwith Lerwick, (sometimes referred to as 'country Up Helly Aa's'), are smaller but they are nevertheless spectacular. The only Up Helly Aa date set in stone is Lerwick – the others may not happen each year and the dates may vary - but the usual dates for all the festivals (in the order they occur), are shown below:
- Scalloway Fire Festival – Second Friday of January
- Lerwick Up Helly Aa – Last Tuesday in January
- Nesting and Girlsta Up Helly Aa - First Friday in February
- Uyeasound Up Helly Aa – Second Friday of February
- Northmavine Up Helly Aa – Third Friday of February
- Bressay Up Helly Aa – Last Friday in February
- Cullivoe Up Helly Aa – Last Friday in February
- Norwick Up Helly Aa - End of February
- South Mainland Up Helly Aa – Second Friday of March
- Delting Up Helly-Aa – Third Friday of March
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History
The Up Helly Aa Fire Festival is a tradition that originated in Lerwick in the the last part of the 1800's, when rival groups of Lerwick youths dragged sledges with burning tar barrels on them through the town as part of Yule festivities. Associated with it however, was perceived vandalism such as burning paint off doors, breaking windows or smearing buildings with tar. Because of this the Lerwick Magistrates banned the practice in 1874. Following the ban there were occasional attempts at torch-lit processions around Christmas and New Year in Lerwick, until 1881 when a procession was held on the 29th January. This date was the Lerwick Up Helly Aa day, (or the 24th day after Yule), the pre-Christian festival which later became associated with Christmas. This continued into the 1900's until in 1908, for convenience, it was decided to hold the event on the last Tuesday of January, and this has been the custom in Lerwick ever since.
Also In 1881, a 'Worthy Chief Guizer' was chosen to lead the Lerwick procession, and in 1906 the leader appeared in Viking costume for the first time and was renamed 'Guizer Jarl', (Earl). The first Lerwick 'Jarl's Squad' appeared in 1921 with the Jarl's personal group all being dressed in Viking costume. By this time, a model Viking longship "Da Galley", had been added to the procession to be set alight with the torches. In these early years there was sometimes a second ship model, made by the local ship's carpenters and joiners or "Dock's Boys" depicting (usually) full rigged ships, but this was discontinued and, ever since the "Dock's Boys" have built "Da Galley".
At the outbreak of the First World War there were around 300 guizers taking part in the Lerwick festival, by 1949 this had risen to over 600, with the number steadily rising until levelling out at around 900 in the current festival.
The Lerwick festival is by far the oldest, but some of the others were also established early in the last century. The Scalloway Fire Festival dates back to at the latest 1907, the Uyeasound festival to 1911, with a Viking Jarl and ‘Galley Boat’ recorded in 1912, and the Northmavine Festival to at the latest 1913. The Mossbank Up Helly Aa was also celebrated annually from 1980 to 1987 but was incorporated into the Delting Up Helly Aa thereafter. The currently known dates for the establishment of each festival still celebrated are shown below:
Lerwick Senior - late 1800's.
Scalloway - at latest 1907 to the 1950's, then discontinued until restarted in 1979.
Uyeasound - 1911
Northmavine - at latest 1913 into the 1930's, discontinued during the war years and restarted in 1975.
Bressay - at latest 1932.
Lerwick Junior - 1956.
Cullivoe - 1957.
Nesting & Girlsta - 1961.
Brae Junior - 1970 to 1980.
Delting Senior - 1981. Superceded Brae Junior.
Norwick - mid-1980's.
South Mainland - 2010.
The Music
There are three songs associated with the event, the oldest being The Norseman's Home, first sung in 1896. The words are of obscure origin and it is sung to a traditional Norwegian melody. The following year, J J Haldane Burgess wrote the Up Helly-Aa Song specially for the occasion, originally sung to the tune of John Brown's Body, this is sung to music composed by Thomas Manson. In 1935, John Nicolson's The Galley Song was incorporated and this is sung to a Norwegian folk melody. Each year's Jarl squad is accompanied by musicians and they also usually perform a song of the Guizer Jarl’s choosing each year, the Squad Tune.
The music played by the Lerwick Brass Band when the Jarl's squad passes up the ranks is chosen by the Jarl. Such tunes are referred to as Ranks Tunes and are also played during the processions and at events throughout the year. Another notable tune long associated with the Up Helly Aa procession is Liberty Bell, subsequently used as the theme for the Monty Python television series.
The Modern Festival
Some of the Up Helly Aa (UHA), festivals are relatively recent celebrations - the first South Mainland Up Helly Aa was in 2010 and the Norwick Up Helly Aa began a small local festival in the 1980’s. Each of the festivals however, has its own unique character and allows UHA celebrations to be enjoyed throughout the isles and from mid-January through to the end of March. It is worth noting that most festivals allow women into the Jarl's Squad and also the Guizer Squads, apart from the Lerwick Festival which remains exclusively a male event.
Some of the UHA’s retain their galley from year to year and burn a ‘secondary’ galley. The Bressay Galley ‘Bryoni Jen’ was built in 1962 and is used during each years celebrations, as are the Uyeasound, and Norwick Galleys, while Lerwick, Scalloway, Northmavine, Cullivoe, Nesting & Girlsta, Delting and the South Mainland all build new galleys each year to be burnt on the night of the festival. The Delting festival is unique however as they retain their carved galley head each year and substitute a secondary head for the burning.
Galley Heads from all ten of the 2010 UHA's highlighting the differing character of each festival.
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The day of the Up Helly Aa follows a similar and long-established pattern for most of the UHA’s. The Jarl’s Squad muster at an appointed time and place (early in the morning) usually where a large billboard, officially headed "The Proclamation" but always referred to as "Da Bill", is on display. This gives nominal instructions for the guizers, but also details the misdeeds of local characters through the preceding year and generally pokes fun at authority. A few people named on the bill may be offended but the majority take it in good part and are generally quite proud to have got a mention.
The Jarl’s Squad then visit various local establishments during the day - Schools, care Homes etc., where they sing songs associated with the event to those present and display the years chosen Viking attire. The years Galley is also on display and the Jarl’s Squad pose with the galley for photographs during the day. The costume of each years Jarl’s squad is usually a closely guarded secret and can take many months and considerable time and effort to produce. The Jarl's squad also choose a unique Up Helly Aa Shield each year and collections of these may be found in various halls and schools through Shetland. The Raven Banner, a red flag with a black raven in the centre, usually flies somewhere relevant to each UHA.
The Procession And Burning Of The Galley
In the evening, the Jarl’s Squad and all the other squads of guizers muster at a nominated location and are given torches in their prescribed order. In most cases a maroon is fired to signify the start of the ‘light-up’. This is one of the most spectacular moment for spectators. First total darkness, then all along the ranks the red flares to light the torches, then the blaze of torches held aloft, all done with expert timing. After the light up, the galley, the Squads and (usually) a Band pass down the ranks to the head of the procession with the guizers counter marching behind them. The procession then moves off singing the Up Helly-Aa Song. After marching through a route, long or shortened depending on the weather conditions, the guizer squads form circles around the galley. The Guizer Jarl calls for three cheers for the "da boys dat built da galley" (Galley builders), "da boys dat med da torches" (Torch makers), and the festival "Up Helly Aa" and another call for three cheers for the Guizer Jarl (always the loudest), after which a bugle call is usually sounded, giving the Jarl and his squad time to retreat from the impending inferno, and after the last note the torches are thrown into the galley. The front rank of the encircled squads throw first, then retreat to allow the row behind to throw theirs and so on until all the torches have been thrown.
Some UHA festivals burn their galley floating on the sea - Cullivoe, Northmavine, Delting, Scalloway and the South Mainland currently do this, while the others have designated burning sites that are traditionally used each year. In Lerwick the burning site is the park alongside King Harald and King Erik Street (near the Town Hall), although historically it has also been at the Market Cross, Victoria Pier and what are now the playing fields north of the Clickimin Leisure Centre.
After the galley burning the guizer squads disperse to begin evening festivities which involves visiting local halls where they show off their costumes, sing songs or perform satirical skits, which may be based on local topical news events. Musicians are in every hall, but each squad (especially the Jarl's Squad), may also have musicians of their own who join in with the resident bands and play for the inevitable dancing. Younger men, usually sons of squad members, who carry the musical instruments are known as "fiddle-box carriers." In the Lerwick halls, non-alcoholic refreshments are traditionally provided which are served by volunteer 'hosts' and 'hostesses' who also ensure that events go smoothly. The festivities continue into the early hours of the morning.
See Also
- Gallery of Up Helly Aa Shields from all the UHA Festivals.
- Category:Up Helly Aa Songs
