iWORLD
In ancient stories, fire chases away winter spirits.
It also encourages life through warmth. The Vikings
used fire in funeral ceremonies. They used to rest
the dead in giant boats called longships. Sometimes
boats were set on fire to speed up the journey to
the afterlife before being pushed out to sea.
Viking Victory
The Vikings arrived at the Shetland
Islands more than a thousand years
ago. Stride out boldly with these
bearded warriors at Up Helly Aa. Held
in the seaside town of Lerwick on 26th
January 2016, Up Helly Aa is a fire festival.
Jorvik Viking Festival remembers when
the city was ruled by Vikings.
In February they have a special weeklong celebration called Jolablot, which
welcomes spring’s arrival.
In Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark),
where the winter solstice brings long dark nights with it,
light not only brings warmth but keeps everyone smiling!
Winter Light Festival: Kuwana City
Japan also hosts a Winter Light Festival. In this city
there is a theme park featuring enormous gardens
and greenhouses. Visitors missed the flowers in
winter so the people at the theme park came up with
the idea of having lights that would bloom! These
are between 5 and 7 million LED lights, including a
famous tunnel of light. This year’s theme is “nature”
and it promises gorgeous scenes including a
beautiful sunrise inspired by Mount Fuji and the sea.
SPARK
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