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For Hop-tu-Naa, children dress up and go from house to house with the hope of being given sweets or money, however, the children on the Isle of Man traditionally carried a carved turnip lantern (which are known as turnips or moots by the Manx) and sing Hop-tu-naa songs.
A proper Hop-tu-Naa lantern will be a hollowed out turnip the size of a man's head, with flickering eyes and jagged mouth illuminated from within by a candle.
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, in an ancient form of "trick or treat" this practice appears to have died out.
As any self respecting "turnip carver" will know carving out a turnip is not an easy job resulting in very sore hands and lot's of bent spoons. So these days it seems chldren are not as hardy as we were and opt for the easier squelchier soft pumpkin.
So are you going to "man up" this Hop-Tu-Naa and get those turnips out or take the soflty soflty option of a pumpkin?
Whatever you choose take care while out an about this Hop-Tu-Naa and remember!
Jinny The Witch is watching!!
