The people of Shetland, a group of islands north of Scotland, are welcoming the arrival of spring in dramatic style – by burning viking longships. Up Helly Aa was first celebrated in 1881 and is unique to these islands. But it’s a tradition that is evolving, with a woman at the heart of it for the first time.
Three hundred people, torches in hand, march through the main street of the fishing village of Cullivoe, on the island of Yell. At the port, they’re met by a group of axe-wielding Vikings gathered around a wooden longship.
The leader of the group sets fire to his drakkar – a Viking longship. In the dark of night, one by one, the rest throw their torches onto the blaze. This is the climax of Up Helly Aa.
Alice Jamieson has been preparing for this moment for two years. The 35-year-old, a former Royal Navy nurse now working as a home carer, is the first woman to take on the role of Viking chieftain – a position until now reserved for men.
“I took a week to decide whether or not to accept. But I grew up here, Up Helly Aa celebrates the community and it’s always been part of my life,” she says.
For the past year, she’s been in charge of organising the four days of celebrations, with the help of her squad of around 20 people.
Jamieson has had to raise funds, build a dragon-headed Viking boat by hand and design emblems, costumes and weapons. Every year a new boat is built and every year a new design is chosen for the costumes and shields: a wolf, a phœnix, a weapon, a rune, a Celtic cross.
