In pictures: Up Helly Aa festival in Shetland
The event in Lerwick is Europe’s biggest fire festival and takes place on the last Tuesday of January each year.
Around 900 costumed “guisers” wearing winged helmets, sheepskins and carrying axes and shields, march through the streets of the town to recreate its ancient past.
The procession is led by the guiser jarl, or chief guiser.
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Hide AdEarlier yesterday, a junior jarl elected from a local secondary school headed a mini-torchlight procession. Later in the evening, the main procession was to make its way through the town streets to burn a traditional galley.
A host of volunteers are responsible for the building of the galley and the production of more than 1,000 torches. Work begins at the end of October to ensure everything is ready.