Hallowe’en: turnips, guisers, soul cakes and the Manx night of Hop tu Naa.
Where Halloween came from, and what the sources really say about Samhain and All Hallows; the Isle of Man’s own Hop tu Naa, with moots, songs and Jinny the Witch; turnip lanterns before pumpkins; guising and souling before trick or treat; and the old games, foods and fortunes. Every fact is linked to its source, and there is a quiz at the end.
The short version
The name comes from All Hallows’ Eve: the evening before All Hallows’, or All Saints’, Day. Britannica
Samhain was a festival in ancient Celtic religion that marked the end of summer and the start of winter. Britannica, Samhain
Britannica concludes that modern Halloween came from neither Samhain alone nor Allhallowtide alone, but from a mix of the two. Britannica, Samhain
Hop tu Naa is the oldest continuously existing tradition in the Isle of Man. Culture Vannin, toolkit
The jack-o’-lantern began in the British Isles, where people carved large turnips or other vegetables, not pumpkins. Britannica
Where good sources disagree, and on Halloween’s origins they do, we give both sides.
Explore
All the pictures on this site are our own drawings.
Try the games
A 12-question quiz and a myth-or-fact challenge, with the source behind every answer.