Thousands lined the streets of a Moray village last night for a New Year celebration rooted in medieval times.
Towers of flame blazed across Burghead and plumes of smoke billowed into the sky as residents staged the legendary Burning of the Clavie ritual.
The unique fire festival – believed to date back to 400AD – is a celebration of the ancient Scots Hogmanay, which fell on January 11 before the Gregorian calendar was introduced in Britain in the 18th century.
To ward off evil spirits for the new year ahead, the hefty Clavie – a 100kg barrel filled with wood and tar and mounted on a large post – was carried through the village by the Clavie Crew, led by the Clavie King, Dan Ralph.
An excited throng gathered at Granary Street at 6pm as Mr Ralph and his hardy crew set the Clavie alight.
Crowds of Brochers roared their approval as they followed the flaming vessel while it was paraded through the coastal community.
Staves split from herring barrels were added to the cask at various points along the route, along with gallons of creosote to help them burn.
A sea of excited residents followed the flaming vat through the streets to its end atop a stone altar on Doorie Hill, where the embers were showered with diesel and burst into huge walls of flame.
Throughout the procession onlookers were presented with pieces of the Clavie, said to bring luck for the coming year.
One lucky recipient was a Canadian singer hailed as a legend in her homeland, who was visiting the village her father was born in to spectate on the ceremony.
Lorraine Foreman, 86, lives in Toronto and had long dreamed of revisiting her ancestral home to take part in the yearly spectacle.
On her visit to the village, she stayed in the same King Street cottage her father had departed in 1899 when he left for Canada.
Ms Foreman said: “I have heard about this all my life, so to see it in person is a dream come true.
“I’ve always wanted to see it, and thought this could be my last chance.
“It’s been wonderful, I’ve only just learned how much history is attached to it.”
Ms Foreman has performed in a long list of musical theatre productions but also acts, and appeared recently in the Saw horror movie franchise.