Hop tu Naa

Etymology

Hop-tu-Naa has been considered to be the beginning of the Celtic New Year, marking the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. It was a time when farmers would celebrate a safely gathered harvest and all preparations completed for the long winter ahead.

The etymology of 'Hop-tu-naa' is uncertain, some sources speculating that it comes from Manx Gaelic Shoh ta'n Oie, meaning "this is the night", though there are a number of origins suggested for the similar Hogmanay, which is the Scottish New Year.

Turnip lanterns

For modern Hop-tu-Naa, children dress up and go from house to house with the hope of being given sweets or money, as elsewhere. The children carry carved "turnip" lanterns (which are known as "moots" by the Manx) and sing Hop-tu-Naa songs. There are regional varieties of how turnips should be carved for Hop-tu-Naa, with variations focussing on which way up the turnip is and the nature of the decorations. It is believed that turnip-lanterns do not date earlier than the start of the 19th century due to the vegetable only having been introduced at the end of the previous century. In the past children would bring the stumps of turnips with them and batter the doors of those who refused to give them any money, in an ancient form of trick or treat. This practice appears to have died out.

Divination

Some of the older customs are similar to those now attached to the January new year. It was a time for prophesying, weather prediction and fortune-telling. Last thing at night, the ashes of a fire were smoothed out on the hearth to receive the imprint of a foot. If, next morning, the track pointed towards the door, someone in the house would die, but if the footprint pointed inward, it indicated a birth.

A cake was made which was called Soddag Valloo or Dumb Cake, because it was made and eaten in silence. Young women and girls all had a hand in baking it on the red embers of the hearth, first helping to mix the ingredients, flour, eggs, eggshells, soot and salt, and kneading the dough. The cake was divided up and eaten in silence and, still without speaking, all who had eaten it went to bed, walking backwards, expecting and hoping to see their future husband in a dream or vision. The future husband was expected to appear in the dream and offer a drink of water.

Other means of divination was to steal a salt herring from a neighbour, roast it over the fire, eat it in silence and retire to bed.; or to hold a mouthful of water in your mouth and a pinch of salt in each hand as you listen to a neighbour's conversation, whereupon the first name mentioned would be that of your future spouse.

Many groups of people continue the tradition of singing "around the houses" with turnip lanterns. In addition to this, many Hop-tu-Naa events take place across the Isle of Man each year, most of which today include competitions for turnip and the singing of traditional songs. Manx National Heritage sponsors annual events at various locations. The National Folk Museum at Cregneash hosts an event to teach the tradition Hop-tu-Naa song and help people to carve turnips.

Traditional foods

Traditional food for Hop-tu-Naa includes 'mrastyr'; potatoes, parsnips and fish mashed up with butter. Any left-overs from this evening meal would be left out with crocks of fresh water for the fairies. Toffee would also be made, with just sugar and water, as a communal activity on the evening of hop-tu-naa.

Modern Hop-tu-Naa songs

Different versions of Hop-tu-naa songs were sung in different areas of the island.

"Jinnie the Witch" is a modern Manx English song, which was sung around the Douglas area.

According to Hampton Creer, Jinny's real name was Joney Lowney. She lived in Braddan and was tried at Bishop's Court for witchcraft in 1715 and 1716. Her greatest "crime" was stopping the Ballaughton Corn Mill. She was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment, fined £3 and made to stand at the four market crosses dressed in sackcloth.

The modern song goes as follows :

Hop-tu-Naa My mother's gone away And she won't be back until the morning Jinnie the Witch flew over the house To fetch the stick to lather the mouse Hop-tu-Naa My mother's gone away And she won't be back until the morning Hop-tu-Naa, Traa-la-laa

In the West of the Island a longer version was sung, which is more closely related to the Manx version.

The following version dates from the 1930s – a similar version is recorded in "A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect" by A. W. Moore, Sophia Morrison and Edmund Goodwin (1924):

Hop-tu-naa! put in the pot Hop-tu-naa! put in the pan Hop-tu-naa! I burnt me throt (throat) Hop-tu-naa! guess where I ran? Hop-tu-naa! I ran to the well Hop-tu-naa! and drank my fill Hop-tu-naa! and on the way back Hop-tu-naa! I met a witch cat Hop-tu-naa! the cat began to grin Hop-tu-naa! and I began to run Hop-tu-naa! I ran to Ronague Hop-tu-naa! guess what I saw there? Hop-tu-naa! I saw an old woman Hop-tu-naa! baking bonnags Hop-tu-naa! roasting sconnags Hop-tu-naa! I asked her for a bit Hop-tu-naa! she gave me a bit as big as me big toe Hop-tu-naa! she dipped it in milk Hop-tu-naa! she wrapped it in silk Hop-tu-naa! Traa la lay! If you're going to give us anything, give it to us soon before we run away with the light of the moon!

The 1970s Southern version from Castletown includes the mention of the Witches Mill and the former house of Parliament

This is auld hollantide night, the moon shines clear and bright Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa Jinnie the witch jumped over the college to fetch the stick to stir the porridge Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa Castletown square is mighty bare, there isn't a statue that should have been there Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa The castle is grey, and Parliament gone, the harbour is quiet no smugglers run Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa when lights were turned out and no sweets were given, there was a further chorus:- This is old hollantide night, the moon is shining bright if you're going to bring us money You better bring it quick as we may start to sing again, and your neighbours will think you're thick Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa Jinnie the witch is over the mill if you don't give us something quick she will come and get you.

New songs for Hop-tu-Naa continue to be created, the most notable of which was written by Scaanjoon in 2015, having been commissioned by Culture Vannin. This has been taken up by the Manx traditional music youth group, Bree, as a part of their repertoire.