Hop tu Naa — the Manx Halloween, with turnips, songs and Jinny the Witch

Hop tu Naa is the Isle of Man’s own version of Halloween, held on the same night, 31 October, but it was here first. Culture Vannin, the island’s culture body, calls it “the oldest continuously-existing tradition in the Isle of Man” (opens in a new tab). This page explains what it is, how it differs from Halloween, what the songs say, how to carve a turnip, and where to join in during 2026. It’s mainly for families here over the October half-term, and for anyone new to the island wondering why the children at the door are singing about a witch eating a horse.

For the rest of the year’s events, see what’s on in the Isle of Man.

What is Hop tu Naa?

Hop tu Naa marks the end of summer and the start of winter. It was the Celtic New Year’s Eve, called Sauin in Manx and Samhain in Irish. It’s also known as Hollantide Eve (Oie Houney). Under the old calendar it fell on 11 November, which is still sometimes called Old Hollantide Eve. It moved to 31 October when the calendar changed.

The name is usually traced to the Manx Hop! T’an Oie, meaning “it is the night”. Culture Vannin’s guide (opens in a new tab) links it to Hogmanay, since both mark a new year.

The parts that survive today are:

• Turnip lanterns, called moots, carved and carried from house to house.
• Songs, sung door to door by children in return for sweets or coins.
• Jinny the Witch, who turns up in almost every verse.
• A dance, the Hop tu Naa, still danced across the island.

How it differs from Halloween

	Hop tu Naa	Halloween
Lantern	Turnip (moot), often carved with scenes	Pumpkin, usually a face
At the door	Sing a Hop tu Naa song	“Trick or treat”
Main character	Jinny the Witch	Ghosts, witches, anything
Origin	Manx and Gaelic Celtic New Year	Same roots, via America

In practice, lots of Manx children now do both: a turnip, a costume and a bag for sweets. But the songs and the turnips are what make it Hop tu Naa, and they haven’t gone anywhere.

The songs

Every part of the island had its own version, and Culture Vannin has collected them in a free songbook with music (opens in a new tab). These are traditional and anonymous. The best-known English version, from Douglas, goes:

Hop-tu-naa, Hop-tu-naa,
Jinny the witch flew over the house
to fetch a stick to lather the mouse.
Hop-tu-naa, Trol-la-laa.

Then comes the line most Manx children know: “Your mother’s gone away and she won’t be back until the morning.”

The Ramsey version is a catalogue of what Jinny ate (“Jinny the Witch she ate the horse / She ate the mane and the tail of course”). It ends with a practical demand: “If you’re going to give us something give us it soon / For we want to be home by the light of the moon.” The Peel version features an old woman baking bonnags (Manx soda bread) who hands over a piece “as big as my big toe”.

The Manx Gaelic song was collected by Dr John Clague. Its first verse and chorus are the ones taught today:

Ta shenn Oie Houney, Hop-tu-naa!
Ta’n eayst soilshean, Trol-la-laa!

It’s Hollantide Night, Hop-tu-naa!
The moon shines bright, trol-la-laa!

It’s roughly pronounced “ta shenn ee howna, hop-chu-nay / tan aist saw-shin, trol-la-lay”. You can hear all of these on Culture Vannin’s Hop tu Naa playlist (opens in a new tab).

Jinny the Witch

Jinny may have been a real person. The story Culture Vannin tells is of Joney Lowney, a poor woman who lived about 300 years ago on the Ballaglonney back road, near today’s Mount Murray. She was known for curses and cures. She fell out with the Bishop’s miller at Braddan over the poor flour he gave out, and the mill stopped, apparently for good. She was convicted of witchcraft, locked up in Peel Castle for 14 days, fined £3 and made to stand at the market crosses of the four towns in a white sheet. That’s harsh, but lenient for the time: across the water, she could have been hanged.

Carving a turnip lantern

Culture Vannin’s leaflet has the method. In short:

1. Cut the top off a large turnip and level the bottom so it stands up.
2. Hollow it out with a spoon (the slow, traditional way), or drill holes and chip out the middle. An adult should do this part.
3. Draw your design and cut it out. Traditional designs include Peel Castle, witches and Manx cats, not just faces. Cutting only through the skin, and leaving a thin wall, lets the light through and keeps the wind out.
4. Hollow out the stalk on the lid as a chimney, and put in a tea light or a torch.

In Peel, lanterns were often carved upside down so the stalk became a handle. Before turnips, according to the same leaflet, people put cabbages on sticks and thumped them on doors. Nobody is asking for that one back.

The old customs

Most of these have died out, but they explain the atmosphere of the night. All are from Culture Vannin’s collection:

• Gorse bonfires were lit to keep bad fairies away.
• The Hollantide supper was potatoes, parsnips and fish, mashed with butter. Leftovers stayed on the table for the fairies, with fresh water.
• Soddag valloo, or dumb cake, was made from flour, eggs, eggshells, salt and soot. Girls baked and ate it in silence, then walked backwards to bed to dream of their future husband.
• Stealing the first salted herring from a neighbour’s house was a custom too.

Hop tu Naa events in 2026

In 2026 31 October is a Saturday. Most events are run by Manx National Heritage (opens in a new tab), checked in September 2026:

Event	Where	When (2026)	Cost
Hop tu Naa Festival (opens in a new tab)	Cregneash	Sat 31 Oct, 10am–12pm or 1pm–3pm	£15.50 adult, £5 child (3–17), £30 family; book ahead
Turn up for Turnips (opens in a new tab)	Cregneash	26–30 Oct, 10am–4pm	Site entry; children free; turnips £3
Tiny Turnips Festival (opens in a new tab)	Cregneash	Wed 28 Oct	Aimed at under-5s
Myths and Magic trail (opens in a new tab)	Peel Castle	24 Oct–1 Nov, 11am–4.30pm	Castle entry; children free
Room on the Broom day (opens in a new tab)	House of Manannan, Peel	Sat 24 Oct	See MNH
Hop tu Naa trains (opens in a new tab)	Groudle Glen Railway	31 Oct and 1 Nov, 1pm–7pm	Special fares; pre-booking required

The Cregneash festival is the closest thing to a public Hop tu Naa. It includes turnip carving, a sing-along with live Manx music, traditional dances, fairings and storytelling. The terrain is uneven and much of it is outdoors, so dress for the weather. The Great Laxey Mine Railway (opens in a new tab) usually runs ghost trains in late October too, so check its site for dates.

More on the venues: Cregneash, Peel Castle and the House of Manannan. If you’re coming for half-term, see the Isle of Man with kids.