The bottle tree reflects an ancient African tradition that can be traced as far back as ninth century Congo where natives hung hand-blown glass on huts and trees to ward off evil. The tradition continued in Africa and eventually became a part of Southern African-American folklore. In the early American South, trees, typically cedar because its branches point toward the heavens, were stripped of foliage and decorated with colorful glass bottles.According to African legend, the bottles attract evil spirits, which are drawn to the bursts of sunlit color. The spirits then become trapped inside the bottles, their voices heard moaning as the wind passes by. Though the legend that the bottles trap evil spirits is widely accepted, some believe that the bottles hold the spirits of their ancestors, while others contend that the bottle tree grants wishes.("The Campus Chronicle", Savannah College of Art and Design)
This bottle tree isn't mine although I want one! Hubs and I found this along the same highway as the huge concrete cactus I posted a couple of weeks ago.
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25 comments:
I love these trees, but never knew anything about them. Thanks for the info. Very pretty in all blue.
I want ine of those. How beautiful and really cool. Wonder if that would keep away the IRS spirit? LOL Thanks for the info and sharing.
love it, maybe I'll try making one
now that is nice, pretty and the rain would do the washing.
I have seen several of these but none were as attractive as this one. Perhaps it is the color of the bottles use and the fact that they all seem to match.
Great capture.
Very nice Carletta.... I have seen these before --but never knew the 'history' .... Quite interesting--and very colorful.
Hugs,
Betsy
The photo is great and the history lesson was interesting. Thank you, teach!
A stunning idea! Especially love the vivid blue of the bottles!
I love bottle trees but I've never seen but one in person. This one, being all blue, is especially pretty.
I want one too, Carletta! It's so pretty! Thanks for joining in Yard Art meme! :)
Well then you should get one!
;-)
Very pretty blue bottles and I liked learning about the ancient African tradition.
Thank you for the history, Carletta. I've seen trees like this but did not know it was more than yard art!
It's my first time to see a Bottle Tree, Carletta, so I'm grateful for the background information as well as the photo.
This is a beautiful bottle tree. Thanks for sharing it and the information with us, but I hope you soon get one of your own which you can share with us.
I want one, too. Where do you get blue bottles like that, though?
Excellent find... I do like learning something new when blogging... I must say though that I like my spirits poured from the bottle and over ice ;o)
That is really interesting Carletta. Love the blue.
My husband brews bear and he has a bottle dryer that looks a lot like that...
I want one, too!
I want to make one, I if I get to drink all the wine. Tam http://bloggingbradleys.blogspot.com/
What a kewl tradition ;-)
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hugs and blessings,
I'm going to have to start gathering materials because I want a bottle tree too! This is so unique and I love the blue bottles. Great capture!
I like that bottle tree! I also want one for my patio...very interesting legends regarding them.
I love bottle trees! I first saw one in Mississippi. You can buy them on line. Just search under "bottle tree" and a few web sites show up. Some day when we settle down and actually buy a place, I will buy a bottle tree. :)
beautiful tree! I've never seen something like that before, I think is something very creative, and most of the artist can learn new ways about it. Glass, as a substance, plays an essential role in science and industry. j23j
I am not real fantastic with English but I come up this real leisurely to interpret.
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