Hop-tu-Naa
Encyclopedia : H : HO : HOP : Hop-tu-Naa
-->Hop-tu-Naa is a Celtic festival celebrated in the Isle of Man on the 31st October; elsewhere known as Hallowe'en.
For Hop-tu-Naa children dress up as scary beings and go from house to house with the hope of being given sweets or money, as elsewhere. However the children carry turnips rather than pumpkins and sing an Anglicized version of Jinnie the Witch. The changeover from turnips to pumpkins has also happened in Scotland, where the similar practice is called "guising".
In older times children would have also brought the stumps of turnips with them and batter the doors of those who refused to give them any money! (An ancient form of trick or treat, however this practice appears to have died out.)
The term is Manx Gaelic in origin, but its meaning is actually unknown. It may be cognate with Hogmanay, which is the Scottish New Year; Hallowe'en being the original Celtic New Year.
| Hop-tu-Naa in Manx | Hop-tu-Naa in English |
| SHOH shenn oie Houiney; Hop-tu-naa | THIS is old Hollantide night; Hop-tu-naa |
| T'an eayst soilshean; Trol-la-laa. | The moon shines bright; Trol-la-laa. |
| Kellagh ny kiarkyn; Hop-tu-naa. | Cock of the hens; Hop-tu-naa |
| Shibber ny gauin; Trol-la-laa. | Supper of the heifer; Trol-la-laa. |
| 'Cre'n gauin marr mayd ? Hop-tu-naa. | Which heifer shall we kill? Hop-tu-naa |
| Yn gauin veg vreac. Trol-la-laa. | The little speckled heifer. Trol-la-laa. |
| Yn chione kerroo, Hop-tu-naa. | The fore-quarter, Hop-tu-naa |
| Ver mayd 'sy phot diu; Trol-la-laa. | We'll put in the pot for you. Trol-la-laa. |
| Yn kerroo veg cooyl, Hop-tu-naa. | The little hind quarter, Hop-tu-naa |
| Cur dooin, cur dooin. Trol-la-laa. | Give to us, give to us. Trol-la-laa. |
| Hayst mee yn anvroie, Hop-tu-naa. | I tasted the broth, Hop-tu-naa |
| Scoald mee my hengey, Trol-la-laa. | I scalded my tongue, Trol-la-laa. |
| Ro'e mee gys y chibber, Hop-tu-naa. | I ran to the well, Hop-tu-naa |
| As diu mee my haie, Trol-la-laa. | And drank my fill; Trol-la-laa. |
| Er my raad thie, Hop-tu-naa. | On my way back, Hop-tu-naa |
| Veeit mee kayt-vuitsh; Trol-la-laa. | I met a witch cat; Trol-la-laa. |
| Va yn chayt-scryssey, Hop-tu-naa. | The cat began to grin, Hop-tu-naa |
| As ren mee roie ersooyl. Trol-la-laa. | And I ran away. Trol-la-laa. |
| Cre'n raad ren oo roie Hop-tu-naa. | Where did you run to? Hop-tu-naa |
| Roie mee gys Albin. Trol-la-laa. | I ran to Scotland. Trol-la-laa. |
| Cred v'ad jannoo ayns shen ? Hop-til-naa | What were they doing there? Hop-til-naa |
| Fuinney bonnagyn as rostey sthalgyn. Trol-la-laa. | Baking bannocks and roasting collops. Trol-la-laa. |
| Hop-tu-naa, Trol-la-laa. | Hop-tu-naa, Trol-la-laa |
(LOAYRT/SPOKEN)
- ''MY ta shiu goll dy chur red erbee dooin, cur dooin tappee eh,
- Ny vees mayd ersooyl liorish soilshey yn cayst''
- Hop-tu-naa, Trol-la-laa.
- (If you are going to give us anything, give it us soon,
- Or we'll be away by the light of the moon.
- Hop-tu-naa, Trol-la-laa.)
Jinnie the Witch
(Also spelt Ginnie the Witch)
Jinnie the Witch is a modern Manx English version of the above ballad:
- Hop-tu-Naa
- My mother's gone away
- And she wont be back until the morning
- Jinnie the Witch few over the house
- To fetch the stick to cladder the mouse
- Hop-tu-Naa
- My mother's gone away
- And she wont be back until the morning
- Hop-tu-Naa, Traa-la-laa
Please note that this is only one version of many; it is probably the most popular, however the song changes from village to village and from family to family. It is still widely used and many people will refuse to give sweets or money to children who do not sing the song; much to the disappointment of young teenage boys! "Jinnie" is also the Manx Gaelic for stinging nettle.
See also
References
- A.W. Moore, 1896, Manx Ballads [link]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.