Hop tu Naa: the Isle of Man’s night
The Manx equivalent of Halloween, with some very important differences.
How this site works. Every fact is in our own words and linked to its source, beside it. The pictures are our own drawings. Where good sources disagree, we say so.
Hop tu Naa is the oldest continuously existing tradition in the Isle of Man. Culture Vannin, toolkit
Culture Vannin calls Hop tu Naa the Manx equivalent of Halloween, with some very important differences. Culture Vannin, toolkit
It is celebrated on 31 October. In the old calendar it fell on 11 November, Old Hollantide Eve. Culture Vannin
The name
In Manx, “Hop! T’an Oie” means “It is the Night!” Culture Vannin
The name Hop tu Naa is thought to come from the Celtic New Year, like Hollantide and Hogmanay. It marks the end of summer and the start of winter. Culture Vannin, toolkit
It is also Celtic New Year’s Eve, Sauin in Manx Gaelic. Culture Vannin
What happens
Hop tu Naa traditions include songs, dancing, carving turnip lanterns, divination, stories of Jinny the Witch and special food. Culture Vannin
Culture Vannin’s leaflet says the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest at Hop tu Naa. Culture Vannin
Moots
In the Isle of Man the turnip lantern is a ‘moot’. To make one, cut off the top, level the bottom so it sits, hollow it out with a spoon, then draw and cut your design. Culture Vannin
Traditional Manx turnip designs include Peel Castle, witches and Manx cats, not just scary faces. Culture Vannin
More on carving on the lanterns page.
The songs
Children sang Hop tu Naa songs from door to door, and still do. The songs vary from place to place on the Island. Culture Vannin
The best-known song, from Douglas, goes: “Hop tu Naa! Your mother’s gone away and she won’t be back until the morning. Jinny the witch flew over the house to fetch the stick to lather the mouse.” Culture Vannin, toolkit
There is a Manx Gaelic chorus too: “Hop-tu-Naa as Trol-la-laa”, said roughly ‘hop-chu-nay as trol-la-lay’. Culture Vannin
Today children get sweets, chocolate and sometimes money for singing. Long ago they got butter taffy, apples, bonnag and Hollantide fairings, which are ginger biscuits. Culture Vannin, toolkit
Long ago, children had no elaborate costumes: they disguised themselves by wearing clothes inside out or back to front and covering their faces. Culture Vannin, toolkit
Jinny the Witch
Many of the songs mention Jinny the Witch. Some people think she was a real woman, Joney Lowney, who lived about 300 years ago. Culture Vannin, toolkit
In the story, Joney was found guilty of witchcraft, locked up in Peel Castle for 14 days, fined £3 and made to stand at the market cross in Castletown, Peel, Ramsey and Douglas. Culture Vannin
Culture Vannin points out that she got off lightly: in England or Scotland she could have been hanged or burnt. Culture Vannin
Fortunes, food and fires
Young women baked a soddag valloo, or dumb cake, of flour, salt, eggshells and soot, ate it in silence and walked backwards to bed to dream of a future husband. Culture Vannin, toolkit
The traditional Hollantide Eve supper was potatoes, parsnips and fish mashed together with butter. Culture Vannin
Gorse bonfires were lit to keep bad fairies away. Culture Vannin
It was a tradition to steal the first salted herring from a neighbour’s house. Culture Vannin
The dance
There is a traditional Manx Hop tu Naa dance, still danced today, with a song in Manx Gaelic. Culture Vannin, toolkit
Some Manx words for the night
Some Manx Gaelic words for the night: moot (turnip), buitch (witch), scaanjoon (ghost), kayt doo (black cat) and craitnag (bat). Culture Vannin
Our view: any night that gives you an excuse to say “craitnag” out loud deserves to be the oldest tradition on the Island.
Next: turnip lanterns →