Shetland Folklore Development Group will be celebrating the ancient Trow Mid-Winter Festival of Tulya’s E’en or Toylisha and would like to invite you to join them. But the group are also offering a word of warning.

On Tulya’s E’en the trows are known to leave their homes in the heart of the earth and are given the freedom to dwell above ground. Extra care must be taken to guard against their mischief.

The trows may be out and about in great numbers on Tulya’s E’en. They could to be up to pranks at any time. Everything that is left outside the doors of houses may be taken away! Including people.

Come and celebrate Tulya’s E’en and the launch of a new book and CD called Da Book o Trows, but keep an eye out for the trows.

There will be storytelling by Davy Cooper and Mary Blance, trowie music by Maurice Henderson and friends, a chance to see drawings of trows by local artists and other family events. And of course the chance to buy the new book and CD.

Da Book o Trows is a collection of encounters with trows, as recorded throughout Shetland over the past 400 years. The collection also includes a CD of new and archive recordings featuring both storytellers and musicians.

The celebrations will also see the launch of a new website featuring the Trowlizter Jukebox, a trow detector and storybooks, amongst other trowie delights.

There is some debate about the origin of Tulya’s E’en, which is also sometimes known by other names [Tollegses, Toyslisa, St Thorlak’s Day, or Trolla Night’] with some sources saying it’s the day before Yule Eve and others that it is as much as seven days before Yule. Either way it is agreed that it the day the Trows are most active and most mischievous.

TULYA’S E’EN will be celebrated between 2pm and 3.30pm on Sunday the 23rd of December at Shetland Museum & Archives. Everyone welcome (except for mischievous trows)