Up Helly Aa

Junior Up Helly Aa

The Junior Up-Helly-Aa was established in 1956 for the purpose of introducing young people to, and prepare them for participating in main Up-Helly-Aa fire festival. It is without doubt that the junior Up Helly Aa is the foundation on which the present day festival has been built. The interest that was installed in the young people to build their own Viking boat, by their school teachers and parents, and to organise them into squads of guizers and hold there own torchlight procession and burning can clearly be seen in the Standard of the present festival today.

The Up Helly Aa committee and their helpers have always made the torches for the junior procession, and volunteers have made the Viking galley for the burning.

The first and second year students at the Anderson High School vote for their chosen Junior Jarl after the school summer holidays. During the winter the parents of the squad members also need to construct a suit for the squad members to wear.

Similar to the senior Guizer Jarl and Squad, the Junior Jarl Squad visit schools and other public appointments throughout the day.

The Junior Torchlit Procession starts at 17:30 from the Hillhead where the junior guizers follow their Galley into the burning site before sending it on its way in a blaze of fire.

The following list records the Junior Jarl and the name of their Galley: