The Hop tu Naa & harvest school roadshow!

The Hop tu Naa & harvest school roadshow!

Mon, 14 Oct 2024

Did you know that there are different Hop tu Naa songs depending where on the Island you live? Or that in Peel, turnip lanterns are held upside down?

This October, the Isle of Man's primary school children have been learning all about the autumn traditions of Hop tu Naa and Yn Mheillea, and the strange customs associated with both, hopefully ensuring they continue long into the future.

Dr Chloë Woolley, the Manx Music Development Officer at Culture Vannin, and Jo Callister, Advisory Teacher for the Manx Curriculum at DESC, have been traveling to schools, via broomstick*, sharing songs, stories, dances, and folklore linked to these special Manx customs.

Jo noted:

“This year our friend, Cori, very cleverly carved us our very own HUGE turnip lantern so we could talk to the young people about the struggles of turnip carving! It’s great to inspire the pupils and teachers to take on the challenge of hollowing out their own moot whilst learning about the traditional designs.”

Chloë added:

“By also bringing with us a ‘Babban ny Mhelliah’ and playing and singing the traditional tunes and dances, we find the children are really engaged and always want to know more. Hopefully we have inspired them to sing a Hop tu Naa song at your doorstep – maybe even in Manx!”

So, when children knock on your door this Hop tu Naa night, check they have their turnip lanterns and make sure to ask them to sing a Hop tu Naa song!

Schools that didn’t receive a visit can still find resources on the Culture Vannin website, including hopefully, some recordings of this years’ school visits.

To find out more about Hop tu naa and Yn Mheillea visit:

The Manx Year

And to watch some new videos of some of the less well known Hop tu naa songs:

Castletown Version: youtu.be/YHvsbqlLI2A
Ramsey Version: youtu.be/5iwgnHc8lUI
"My Mother's Gone Away": youtu.be/wKNhnQ7tH3Q

[* Sadly, there was no budget for broomsticks this year.]