Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Bottle Tree...A Southern Tradition

Beside our Southern Beach Cottage sits a bottle tree.


 History of the Bottle Tree
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 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 bottles grant wishes.

The bottles on our Bottle Tree were slumped (fired in my kiln until they flattened), strung with fishing line, and hung from our dogwood tree. My husband created our bottle tree using some bottles which I had previously slumped. Over the year he has added more bottles of various colors and the tree has become the center of attention in our front yard. He even placed a spotlight under the tree, which lights the tree making it look especially beautiful at night. This is a wonderful tradition passed down through the generations. Not only do bottle trees ward off evil spirits, but they can become a unique focal point in any garden, and quite the topic of conversation.

20 comments:

  1. I love bottle trees! I saw a cast-iron 'tree' once and have always wanted one since then to cover w/fun bottles!

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  2. Hi there here in Newcastle in the uk we have a shoe tree in our local park. why it's there is not sure ,but is great fun to speculate.
    threadspider (etsy)

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  3. That is very neat! I'd love to see a picture of the tree at night.

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  4. Have you taken a picture of your tree at night? It sounds like it looks beautiful at night with the light shining on it.

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  5. I guess I'll have to get a good picture of the tree at night! It really is beautiful then.

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  6. Very interesting. I've never heard of this unique tradition.

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  7. check out Lenex Knits blog for her post on "Handmade Nation" the movie and the book: http://lenoxknits.blogspot.com/2009/04/handmade-nation-review.html

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  8. wow! that is really cool! i bet it looks so beautiful when the light is shining through those colored bottles!

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  9. HanamiGallery - it is something to see, kind of like having a Christmas tree year round.

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  10. I love your blog! So bright and colorful!

    Your bottle tree looks great and I would love to see how it looks at night with the spotlight on it.

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  11. I have never seen a bottle tree before, but it is wonderful! Thanks for explaining about this amazing tradition and for showing me yours!

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  12. I adore the bottle tree tradition, and yours is beautiful :)

    Your house looks so cute, too!

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  13. very cool story, i may have a bottle tree this summer, as long as the kids don't throw rocks
    neat idea, keep 'em coming.

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  14. Synchronicity! Just last night I was telling a friend about how much I hope to eventually have a home where I can have a spirit/bottle tree(I live in Manhattan).
    This is such a great post!

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  15. What a lovely tradition! This would look great in a garden:)

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  16. How very nice to learn of this tradition, I'd never heard of it, but have seen one or two bottle trees in gardens over the years! Thanks for sharing, and if that house photo is your front porch, I'm jealous! :)

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  17. We have a shoe tree near my old high school, too. When the town wanted to take it down to move a road, there was a BIG uproar. Traditions are deeply rooted :-)

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  18. We also have a shoe tree near my old high school. When the town wanted to take it down to move a road, there was a BIG uproar!
    Traditions are deeply rooted :-)

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