Viking Festival in the Shetland Islands

Participants dressed as Vikings prepare to participate in the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Jan. 29, 2013. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and culminates with up to 1,000 men in costume throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat and setting it on fire later in the evening.

Credit: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images