In a Nutshell

The Vikings Invade

Vikings, fire, drinking and revelry, all these elements come together at Up Helly Aa. The largest fire festival in the world lasts for 24 hours on the last Tuesday of every January (Jan. 29, 2008) in Lerwick, Shetland. This island off the coast of northern Great Britain can be described as the place where Scotland meets Scandinavia. The festival celebrates the Viking heritage of this part of the world.

Regardless of gales, sleet and snow, the show goes on, and what a show it is. The Guizer Jarl, head of the Vikings and the festival, dresses in a raven-winged helmet and carries an axe and a shield. He’ll be up for the next 24 hours along with the rest of the festival attendees. The Jarl leads almost 1,000 men (guizers) carrying fencing posts topped with paraffin-soaked sacking. Only the Jarl’s squad is dressed as Vikings. The other squads must choose costumes such as politicians, pop groups or TV show characters. At exactly 7:30 p.m., a rocket shoots over the Town Hall. Torches are lit, the band begins to play and the procession marches to the burning site carrying a replica of a Viking longship with the Jarl at the helm.

When they arrive, the guizers circle the ship in a Catherine Wheel of fire. A second rocket explodes, then the jarl leaves his ship as the crowd cheers. A bugle sounds and the torches are tossed into the ship. The fire destroys what took four months to build while the crowd sings “The Norseman’s Home.”

Then, the revelry begins. Almost 50 squads of guizers travel from hall to hall where they perform an act such as a skit about local events, a dance display or a send-up of a TV show. It is the guizers’ solemn duty to dance with at least one woman at each hall before imbibing the next drink or eating another bannock. Fortunately, the next day is a public holiday in Lerwick.

The elements of Up Helly Aa date back more than 12 centuries, including fire, feasting, fancy dress and fun. The torchlit procession and galley burning stem from pagan Norse rituals for the cremation of great chieftains and winter solstice religious ceremonies. Up Helly Aa as it is celebrated today originated in 1877. The first galley was burnt in 1889.

Time Keeps On Passing

One thing we know for sure is that once time has passed, it can’t be recaptured. This makes using our time well especially important, according to Lodewijk van den Broek (http://blog.lodewijkvdb.com) on the Zen Habits blog (http://zenhabits.net). Van den Broek recommends simplifying your left in order to use your time most effectively. Here are four ways to do just that:

• Do it once and get on with things. If you procrastinate, your mind will enjoy making you think about it over and over until you get it done. This wastes considerable time and brainpower.

• Whatever you do, do it smart. Most likely you’re not the first one to attempt the task you’re undertaking. Search the Internet and other sources to learn from the experiences of others.

• Automate what you can. Use software to rid yourself of repetitive tasks. Try automating your everyday habits as well to maximize your efficiency.

• Outsource what you hate to do. This way you can spend your time on what you love and are motivated to do. You may find you end up with better results when you let go of something you truly don’t like doing.