Thousands of Shetlanders staged a scorching tribute to their Viking forefathers last night with a spectacular Up Helly Aa inferno.
A flare exploded into the night sky to begin the celebration, and orange smoke billowed across Lerwick as 872 paraffin-soaked torches were lit.
A procession of 1,004 costumed men, divided into 47 squads, snaked through the streets in a mesmerising zig-zag pattern.
Hordes of cheering onlookers surrounded the King George V playing field to take in Europe’s largest fire festival, despite bitterly cold wind and lashing rain.
The replica viking longship at the heart of the event was reduced to cinders within minutes, after being bombarded with hundreds of flaming torches.
This year’s Guizer Jarl, Lyall Gair, spoke of his pride as he watched the vessel burn.
Mr Gair said: “This is up there with the proudest moments of my life, we weren’t concerned about the weather – it could have been thunder and lightning and we would have battled on.”
Mr Gair’s girlfriend, Elaine Hughes, invited 22 relatives to the island watch the spectacle for the first time.
She said: “I’m so proud of Lyall and of Up Helly Aa, everyone I brought over has had a fabulous time.”
The immaculately crafted galley, named The Falcon, began its journey yesterday morning with a parade through Lerwick.
Costumed warriors let out bloodcurdling roars along the way, and were greeted with equally hearty cheers of approval from throngs of onlookers.
One crew of guizers brought some comedy to proceedings by greeting Mr Gair at the town’s Esplanade while dressed in tribute to him.
Ryan Wright, who helped prepare the torches for last night’s celebration, donned a fake beard and wild brown wig in order to resemble the Guizer Jarl.
Mr Wright said: “He probably wasn’t expecting this sort of effort, but Lyall was delighted.”
When the procession reached the town’s Mercat Cross, the Jarl squad recited the Up Helly Aa song and then gave voice to a less traditional Scottish anthem.
Mr Gair led a lively version of I’m On My Way by The Proclaimers, prompting some chuckles from the crowd when the burly band of bearded men tried to reach the song’s higher notes.
The Jarl squad then headed to the shore, where they posed with the longship against the dramatic backdrop of the windswept sea.
Chinese tourist Luqi Shen was inspired to attend Up Helly Aa because of her love for fantasy fiction.
The 29-year-old said: “I came to Scotland especially for this, as I’m very interested in Viking history.
“I am a big fan of J.R.R Tolkein books, that is where he got many of his influences and the costumes remind me of his work.
“This is really special, it’s amazing how the men bring that era to life.”
The visitor book at the Shetland Museum and Archives building reveals an index of international visitors over the past few days.
Visitor services assistant, Trevor Jamieson, has been running talks all about Up Helly Aa at the Hays Dock venue.
Mr Jamieson added: “Like most years, we have seen a definite spike in visitor numbers towards the end of January.
“But as well as educating tourists about the significance of Up Helly Aa, we run sessions with local schools as it fairly gets the children interested in Shetland’s past.”
Guizers and spectators made their way to 11 local halls to dance the night away into the early hours after the boat was set alight.