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Up-Helly-Aa

/ ˌʌpˈhɛlɪɑː /

noun

  1. a midwinter festival held in January in Shetland; originally a fire festival, but now a celebration of Shetland's Norse heritage, involving the ceremonial burning of a newly built Viking ship
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Up-Helly-Aa1

from up (in the sense: finished) + haliday a Scottish form of holiday

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