The unique Viking fire festival in Scotland.

Let's admire the stunning photographs by British photographer Stella Muir of the Viking festival held in Scotland at the end of January.

This year, Up Helly Aa will take place at 8:30 AM on January 31st.

Over 1,000 Guizers – the name given to local volunteers dressed in Viking armor – participated in the festival, dancing, drinking, singing, parading with thousands of burning torches, performing ritual boat burnings, and engaging in many other unique cultural activities.

These Viking groups, called Jarls, were led by a Guizer. They spent the day marching through Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Their final destination was the riverbank where they collectively burned a Viking ship.

The 9.2-meter-long ship, modeled after the boats of the past by Vikings, was meticulously crafted by volunteers. To make the burning of the ship even more impressive, the city's streetlights were turned off very early. Each time the ship was burned, the entire city seemed to glow in flames.

When the ship burst into flames, the entire crew returned to the town hall area and feasted, danced, and sang until the sun rose.

The Thanh