10/04/2023
Visitors to the Lowcountry are always charmed by their first encounters with the Bottle Tree; one of the many traditions steeped in local history.
We saw our first bottle trees (and our first TRUE Haint Blue painted houses- a topic for another day), on a trip to the South Carolina Sea Islands as a child.
We were fascinated by that bunch of blue bottles arranged in an odd formation on the tips of tree branches.
Over the centuries, the Gullah culture of our sea islands has lent many legends and superstitions to the rest of the Lowcountry and beyond, and the belief in spirits is one of them.
It’s told that early Africans believed that when night fell, the bottles lured and trapped any malcontent evil spirits around them and then held them hostage until the rising morning sun could destroy them. The bottles are believed to attract the spirits, and once captured, the spirits can’t escape. So when the wind blows, and the bottle hums, you know that there is a spirit trapped inside!
The act of placing bottles over tree branches or tying them to limbs was a spiritual act rooted in voodoo and witchcraft. Bottles were often tied to trees near a crossroad or prominent public location in order to capture any spirits which might be traveling.
In more recent decades this practice has spread and has become largely decorative. Some historians believe that the practice originated as far back as far as 1600 B.C., to the ancient Egyptians. However, everyone agrees that bottle trees came to the Lowcountry, from Africa along with the slave trade.
Today, throughout the nation you’ll find them as popular garden art.
But, here in the Lowcountry we know
what bottle trees are for. They trap evil spirits. And they’re helping to keep our local traditions and knowledge of Gullah Culture alive💙
