Up Helly Aa

proper noun

Any of a variety of fire festivals held in Shetland, in Scotland, to mark the end of the Yule season.

OriginScots up-haly-aw →
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Up-Helly-Aa · alternative Uphelya

  1. Any of a variety of fire festivals held in Shetland, in Scotland, to mark the end of the Yule season.

Origin

  1. Scotsup-haly-aw
  2. EnglishUp Helly Aa

From the Shetlandic form of Scots up-haly-aw.

More words from Scots

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Up Helly Aa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Up%20Helly%20Aa

MLA

“Up Helly Aa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Up%20Helly%20Aa. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Up Helly Aa,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Up%20Helly%20Aa.

Source: Up Helly Aa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.