Photo blog: Delting Up Helly Aa

Afternoon and Evening:

The squad’s grand tour of the community from Vidlin in the south to Mossbank in the north culminated in the torch-lit procession and the subsequent burning of the galley at the Delting Boating Club, on Friday night.

Following an hearty lunch at the Mossbank hall, dished up by BP, the Delting Vikings moved on to the Petrofac accommodation block at Sella Ness before paying the Brae police station and the North Haven care centre a visit.

Refreshed after teas with friends and family in the Brae Hall, the jarl’s squad was in the right mood to scarify their galley to the flames before heading out on the long night through the local halls.

Jarl Anderson, in real life a foreman with local building firm DITT, said he got infected with the Up Helly Aa bug very early on when he first went out as a fiddlebox carrier in his mother’s squad at the tender age of 10.

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He has been in two previous jarl’s squads, in 2000 and 2002, and was after that asked to join the committee to serve his time.

“It is a great experience for me and my family. I am fortunate in that all my family has come up from south. I am very pleased that they are all here and can be part of it,” he said, summarising what was a perfect day for him.

Morning:

SHETLAND’s final fire festival of the winter season is now well under way with the 48-strong Delting jarl’s squad led by Guizer Jarl Barry Anderson in good spirits.

They started their day with the traditional squad and galley photo opportunities before heading out to Vidlin primary school for the first of four school visits.

The 36 year old jarl represents Leif Erikson, the first Viking to have set foot on the American continent, around 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Erikson, who was also known as ‘Leif the Lucky’ is regarded as the founder of the Vinland settlement at the northern tip of Newfoundland.

Jarl Anderson said the link with Leif’s story was particularly relevant to him since his grandmother came from Newfoundland.