Hop-tu-Naa

Hop-tu-Naa is a Celtic festival celebrated in the Isle of Man on 31 October. Predating Halloween, it is the celebration of the original New Year's Eve (Oie Houney). It is thought to be the oldest unbroken tradition in the Isle of Man.

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.

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.

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.

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Wikipedia