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Spik dictionary

up helly aa

nountime

Lerwick's annual torchlit Viking festival

Annual Lerwick fire festival held on the last Tuesday of January, with roots in Norse and Celtic traditions; marked by a torchlit procession of guizers and tableaux and culminating in the burning of a replica Viking longship.

Example in use

“Ah'll gae tae the up helly aa”

Pronunciation

Say it like this

/UP-HEL-ee-AH/

Word snapshot

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origin detail

Origin & context

old norsecurrentneutral

Local variations

How “up helly aa” is spelled and said in different parts of Shetland.

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