Nairn Museum has welcomed a new spooky addition to its collection – just in time for Halloween.
Although Viewfield House has closed doors for essential renovation works, the museum team has embraced traditional turnip tumshie lanterns by taking some old vegetables into the permanent collections.
Five scary turnips – which were originally made for Halloween 2019 – were made by an enthusiastic local turnip carver, who preserved the lanterns and has now donated them to the museum.
According to Nairn Museum curator, Annie MacDonald, the five turnips – which have completely dried out and have an even spookier look – represent an important part of living tradition and heritage.
She explained: “I find objects like this help me understand the importance of living tradition and heritage, although I am certain I will have nightmares about them!”
“They are genuinely hideous. Part of the wonder of the turnips is their rock-hard form, which has a texture similar to wood. The original carver utilised the roots of the turnip to give them an extra grisly feeling.”
Turnips have been carved for centuries in Scotland at Halloween to scare away any malevolent spirits, or mischievous fairies, who were said to hold their parades on All Hallows’ Eve.
Annie continued: “I have been told that the turnips, from Halloween 2019, were treated with alcohol disinfectant during the pandemic, and have just been sitting in the attic since.
“The odour reminds me of a vegetable stock cube, or Swiss bouillon. You can only smell them if you get exceptionally close to them, so I’m hopeful that they are stable,” explained Museum Curator Annie.”
She added that the National Museum of Ireland holds a plaster cast of a turnip from 1943 representing the type of turnips carved in 1900, however Nairn Museum intends to keep their old neeps in original turnip form in perpetuity.
They are now being stored cautiously to ensure low humidity, which could potentially be disastrous for the preserved neeps.
“This represents intangible cultural heritage, the type of history we make by carrying on traditions from generations past,” Annie said.
“The UK Government recently ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural, and this is an area where we are trying to grow our collections. The Moray Firth has rich culture and traditions, including songs, storytelling and crafts.”
