And for all the reports of drunken debauchery and wife-swapping, Up Helly Aa proves to be far more civilised than advertised. While at 10am the next morning the pubs are filling up with refugees from the emptying halls – a man in laddered tights with a lipstick-smeared face sits next to a Viking, while a Power Ranger gets the pints in – there is no evidence of the loutishness or crime that often comes with drunkenness in big, anonymous cities. After all, nobody’s disguise is that good, and you never know who might be acquainted with your mother.