Hop-tu-Naa

 ( Festivals In The Isle Of Man ) 

"Jinnie the Witch" is a modern Manx English song, which was sung around the Douglas area. ‘How Old is Jinny the Witch?’ ed. Stephen Miller, ‘’Manx Notes’’ 144 (2013)

According to Hampton Creer, Jinny's real name was Joney Lowney. She lived in Braddan and was tried at Bishop's Court for witchcraft in 1715 and 1716. Her greatest "crime" was stopping the Ballaughton Corn Mill. She was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment, fined £3 and made to stand at the four market crosses dressed in sackcloth. Oral history interview with Hampton Creer conducted by Culture Vannin

The modern song goes as follows :

Hop-tu-Naa

My mother's gone away

And she won't be back until the morning

Jinnie the Witch flew over the house

To fetch the stick to lather the mouse

Hop-tu-Naa

My mother's gone away

And she won't be back until the morning

Hop-tu-Naa, Traa-la-laa

In the west of the island a longer version was sung, which is more closely related to the Manx version.

The following version dates from the 1930s – a similar version is recorded in "A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect" by A. W. Moore, Sophia Morrison and Edmund Goodwin (1924):

Hop-tu-naa! put in the pot

Hop-tu-naa! put in the pan

Hop-tu-naa! I burnt me throt (throat)

Hop-tu-naa! guess where I ran?

Hop-tu-naa! I ran to the well

Hop-tu-naa! and drank my fill

Hop-tu-naa! and on the way back

Hop-tu-naa! I met a witch cat

Hop-tu-naa! the cat began to grin

Hop-tu-naa! and I began to run

Hop-tu-naa! I ran to Ronague

Hop-tu-naa! guess what I saw there?

Hop-tu-naa! I saw an old woman

Hop-tu-naa! baking bonnags

Hop-tu-naa! roasting sconnags

Hop-tu-naa! I asked her for a bit

Hop-tu-naa! she gave me a bit

as big as me big toe

Hop-tu-naa! she dipped it in milk

Hop-tu-naa! she wrapped it in silk

Hop-tu-naa! Traa la lay!

If you're going to give us anything, give it to us soon

before we run away with the light of the moon!

The 1970s southern version from Castletown includes the mention of the Witches Mill, the Smelt Monument and the Old House of Keys:

This is auld hollantide night, the moon shines clear and bright

Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa

Jinnie the witch jumped over the college to fetch the stick to stir the porridge

Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa

Castletown square is mighty bare, there isn't a statue that should have been there

Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa

The castle is grey, and Parliament gone, the harbour is quiet no smugglers run

Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa

When lights were turned out and no sweets were given, there was a further chorus:

This is old hollantide night, the moon is shining bright

if you're going to bring us money

You better bring it quick

as we may start to sing again, and your neighbours will think you're thick

Hop-tu-naa, traa-la-laa

Jinnie the witch is over the mill if you don't give us something quick

she will come and get you.

New songs for Hop-tu-Naa continue to be created, the most notable of which was written by Scaanjoon in 2015, having been commissioned by Culture Vannin. Creepy Folk Come Down by Scanjoon on YouTube This has been taken up by the Manx traditional music youth group, Bree, as a part of their repertoire. "Creepy Folk Come Down" - Big Bree Workshop Weekend 2015 Concert 1 released by Culture Vannin on Vimeo

• Allantide
• Calan Gaeaf
• Guising
• Halloween
• Hogmanay
• Samhain

• Hoptunaa information and resources from Culture Vannin
• Hop-tu-naa turnip carving, a short video explaining how to carve a traditional Peel turnip
• Recordings of the songs associated with hop-tu-naa
• A performance of the hop-tu-naa dance