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Sat 11 Nov 2009Feat of flames for Viking isle
Go Christmas: Shetland’s Mainlanders fight winter gloom with a raucous fire festival, writes Joanna Roberts
I HEARD THE Vikings before I saw them. The sound of marching carried on the wind to where I stood among a group of damp onlookers. The noise grew steadily, punctuated by warlike whoops until, finally, the squad appeared in view. Led by the Guizer Jarl, or chief mummer, 60 bearded men strode towards us with their winged helmets, glinting axes and ornate shields.
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