A record number of revellers flocked from far and wide to witness the Burning of the Clavie on Saturday night.
An estimated 4,000 onlookers experienced the famous fire festival, which is unique to the Moray fishing village of Burghead.
The crowds were treated to the impressive sight of the Clavie – a herring barrel filled with tar – being lit then carried aloft around the streets.
Finally, following time-honoured tradition, it was taken in a procession up to Doorie Hill, where its flames licked high into the night sky.
No one knows the exact age of the centuries-old celebration.
Dan Ralph, who has been the Clavie King since 1988, reckons the tradition could date back as far as 400AD when the village was capital of the old Pictish kingdom.
Speaking just before the Clavie was lit near his home, he said: “We try to keep the event traditional.
“More and more people come along to see it every year, which is great. But we don’t ever want to lose its original feeling.”
Carrying the Clavie, which weighs 15st 7lb (100kg), is an honour passed down through the generations.
Alex Main first became part of the Clavie Crew as a 15-year-old boy.
He hopes his three-year-old son, Jamie, will follow in his footsteps one day.
“It’s hard work carrying it more than a few paces – but I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said the 41-year-old company director.
The exact significance of the festival is a much debated point around the village.
“Many say it’s meant to ward off witches – but I still see plenty of them around and about,” joked Burghead resident John Fraser, 70, a retired merchant seaman.
What is certain is that the “New Year” festival has been held on January 11 ever since the 1750s when the calendar was reformed in Britain.
Receiving a still-burning ember from the Clavie is said to bring good luck for the coming year.
Local school bus driver Jim Angus, 71, gets an ember every year. He said: “I take it through the house while it’s still smoking.
“I don’t know if it brings good luck, but I wouldn’t want to risk not having a piece.”
Elgin resident Stephen Leithead attended the event specially kitted out in asbestos gloves to carry away his Clavie ember.
He said he wanted a lucky fragment for his 91-year-old dad, John, whose own parents were from Burghead.
Alain Bereta, from Paris, was one of many visitors at the village.
The 21-year-old student had made a diversion from a road trip around the Highlands to attend.
He said: “It’s a crazy idea, but I like it.”