February 2010 Newsletter Produced by the Shetland Hamefarin 2010 Committee S H ETLA N D H A M EFARI N 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Website 1 Up-Helly-Aa 2010 2 Shetland Library 3 Shetland Geotours 3 Events Schedule 4 Shetland in Stats • Lerwick’s Up-Helly-Aa 2010 saw 956 Guizers march in the procession, with 880 carrying torches. • The Guizer Jarl’s squad this year was 61 Vikings strong. • A total of 46 squads EW EAR EW EBSITE visited 11 halls in Lerwick. N Y , N W • As the summer approaches, members of Shetland Shetland and how to get This year’s proclamation the momentum has picked Hamefarin 2010. around when you are here, was adorned with an up for the Shetland An official membership is and provides links to embroidered headpiece of Hamefarin 2010 Northlink Ferries, Flybe and a sailing galley. It featured free of charge and will offer preparations. benefits to Hamefarers, public transport timetables. 361,895 stitches and took Hamefarers are reminded of 2,448 hours to produce. The Hamefarin website, details of which will be www.www.shetlandhamefarin.comshetlandhamefarin.com , included in future newsletters the special discount from Northlink Ferries, details of Other News has been redesigned. Web and on the website. designer N B Registering as a member also which can be found on the • Shetland band Fiddlers’ Communications has helps the Shetland Hamefarin website Bid have been nominated provided the site with a full 2010 Committee to keep The accommodation in the Spiral Earth awards overhaul which will provide a track of how many section contains information for Best Instrumental quick and easy source of Hamefarers we can expect on B&Bs, hotels, guest Album of the Year. Visit news and information on the and to plan accordingly. houses and self-catering www.spiralearth.co.uk/ upcoming celebrations for Up to 40 members of properties around Shetland spirals2010/instrumental. visitors and locals alike. your party can be registered who are holding rooms asp for more info. Voting is Among the changes that online, but please contact us specifically for Hamefarers. open until 12 February have been made to the through the website if you Links to websites are also 2010. website is a new schedule of need to register more. included. This section also includes an accommodation events , reproduced in this There is much more newsletter, which provides enquiry form, through which available on the website, bookings and queries can be users with information on including in-depth area guides times, dates, venues and made. Upon posting, the and links to places of interest. forms are submitted to John which events are free or We hope you will find this ticketed. Hopefully this will Leask & Son , who are acting useful as you plan to visit us as official accommodation make planning your personal this summer. itinerary much easier. agents for the Hamefarin Hamefarers should be and will deal with all A brand new feature on sure to check the travel and bookings and enquiries the website is a section accommodation section. The relating to the event where Hamefarers can travel section contains (contact details on p.4). register to become official information on how to get to 1 Page 2 February 2010 Newsletter U P -H E L LY -A A 2010 Massed ranks of bearded, armour-clad Vikings, rub shoulders with Imperial Stormtroopers, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It’s January, it’s Shetland, it’s UpUpUp-Up ---HellyHellyHelly----AaAaAaAa . It is said that the timing of Up-Helly-Aa coincides with an early Pagan festival the purpose of which was to banish winter weather to clear the way for the oncoming spring. It may not work anymore, in these days of climate change, but the weather couldn’t have been further from the minds of the 900 massed guizers and Guizer Jarl Rae Simpson, aka Sigurd ‘Snake‘Snake----Eye’Eye’ Ragnarsson, salutes his burning galley, the Avie Jane from one in particular—Guizer Jarl Rae Simpson . work, the Guizer Jarl—who of Shetland. This Up-Helly-Aa was a adopted the persona of Liam Summers, a member particularly proud one for the Sigurd ‘Snake-Eye’ of both the Up-Helly-Aa Simpson family. Not only was Ragnarsson for the day— Committee and the 2010 Jarl Rae occupying the hallowed begins his day early on the Squad, said 'Up-Helly-Aa position of Guizer Jarl, but he morning of the last Tuesday 2010 has been a brilliant was the third generation of in January, as he and his experience. Work began with his family to do so, following retinue (the ‘Jarl Squad’) Rae (Guizer Jarl) and his Shetland on from his father Magnus in parade through Lerwick, squad a year and a half ago 1987, and his grandfather, followed by a ceremony at working on the suits. When Hamefarin 2010 the late Thomas Simpson In the Town Hall at which he is the day finally arrived it went 1968. given the freedom of Lerwick in a blink, but was worth all The culmination of many by the Convenor of Shetland the effort; the suits looking Monday 14 June years of waiting and hard Islands Council and the Lord fantastic and Rae doing the Lieutenant . squad and his family proud. B ROADCAST N E W S The Jarl then pays visits ‘The Up-Helly-Aa to around Lerwick, before the Committee have also had a Douglas Irvine, Head of main event of the day—the busy time. Preparations Business Development for procession. Nine hundred began to hot up from October, Saturday 26 Shetland Islands Council and guizers, a few dozen squads with each of the 17 June a key organiser of the and as many outlandish volunteers having their own Shetland Hamefarin 2010, costumes, perform a march duties to make sure our was delighted to be invited to through the streets of superb festival was 2010 talk about the Hamefarin on Lerwick before the successful, organised and Australian radio. Douglas ceremonial burning of a safe yet again.’ l spoke to ABC Hobart galley lights up the winter The Up-Helly-Aa presenter Christopher sky. Committee is also preparing Lawrence, whose great- After the procession it is for an extra special event this grandfather was a Shetlander, time for the squads to pay summer—a procession of all on his Evening show. visits to the various halls ten Jarl Squads from Douglas and Christopher around Lerwick, singing, throughout Shetland, plus the discussed the Hamefarin dancing and performing. This Lerwick Junior Jarl Squad, to during a feature on reunions, goes on well into the night, salute the Hamefarin and the and the discussion touched with 8am not considered to visitors who have travelled to on the reasons for the mass be a late finish. As this Shetland to celebrate. emigration of Shetlanders and occupies a particularly Of the special Hamefarin return of many members of important place in the procession, Liam said ‘Work the ‘Shetland diaspora’ next Shetland calendar, the is well underway with torches year. following day is a public and a galley being worked on The show was broadcast holiday for rest and as we speak and I'm sure it on Thursday 14 January 2010 recuperation. will prove to be a special at 1900 DST (0600 GMT). The Jarl and his squad finale to the Hamefarin' in Douglas’ interview is don’t end their duties here, June.' available on the Shetland and have a year of Keep track of all things Hamefarin website in the ceremonial duties and visits Up-Helly-Aa at News section. ahead of them, many outside www.uwww.uphellyaa.orgphellyaa.org . 2 Shetland Hamefarin 2010 Page 3 “T H I S L A N D I S Y O U R L A N D …” Shetland’s human culture and history for the last 7,000 years. The very nature of our inherited hills and coasts has dictated how and where land was settled, cultivated, dwellings constructed and where we fished. Thus our climate and landscape defined Shetlanders unique identity that the exiled took with them all over the world. Their Shetland was in so many ways a different place from the Shetland our Hamefarers will see, but only on the surface. Shetland’s unique Earth The deserted croft of Burg, Muckle Roe built from blocks of 400 million year old red granite seen in the cliffs opposite. heritage has won it the accolade of an UNESCO The ‘Auld Rock’ is the position at the crossroads of Global and European affectionate, but very the North Atlantic. Geopark. In exploring appropriate, appellation Our inheritance from this Geopark Shetland we see exiles have for Shetland. journey is an amazingly what every past inhabitant of Intending Hamefarers will diverse and scenic landscape these islands has seen. Of know something of Shetland’s enclosed by a coast stunning course we will often interpret cultural, historical and in its variety and grandeur things in a very different way, archaeological heritage but from an outer coast showing but the hills and coasts of how many realise that all of some of the most spectacular Geopark Shetland are a this is due to Shetland’s three cliff scenery in the world to an common heritage we share Shetland billion-year-old Earth heritage. inner coast of tranquil voes with all our ancestors. During this immense adorned by sandy ayres. As Hamefarin 2010 stretch of time Shetland has well as being the best place in This article was written by been on an incredible Europe to encounter seals Alan Fraser of Shetland geological journey; the and otters, our hills and Geotours , who will be offering Monday 14 June Shetland we know today is coasts are now home to over daily tours for groups and actually a product of tropical one million seabirds and our individuals throughout the seas, volcanoes, deserts, ice moorland provides breeding summer.