When African peoples arrived in the U.S., they created bottle trees from dead trees or large limbs next to their quarters and adorned them with glass bottles scavenged from garbage piles. Blue bottles were coveted, because they repelled evil and trapped night spirits to be destroyed by the rising sun .
What is the significance of a bottle tree?
Over the centuries, the meaning of the bottle tree has evolved. A popular interpretation is that the bottle tree protects the home and garden by capturing evil spirits . This interpretation says that evil spirits are drawn into the bottles by their bright, sparkling colors.
What do blue bottles on a tree mean?
Blue bottles were hung upside down on trees and huts as talismans to ward off evil spirits . Bottles were also tied to trees near important locations such as meeting places or crossroads to trap any spirits that were travelling. The tradition found its way to America when slave trade began in the 17 th century.
What is the legend of the bottle tree?
The legend is, early Africans believed that when night rolled around, the bottles lured and trapped evil spirits in them and held them hostage until the rising morning sun could destroy them . The use of blue bottles is to attract the spirits and once they're in the bottle, they can't get out.
What are blue glass bottles used for?
Glass containers in amber, cobalt blue and vintage green offer UV protection for beauty, food and beverage products with sensitivity to light . Each of these colors provides differing levels of UV protection: Amber, high; Cobalt, medium; and, Green, minimal.
Why do they hang bottles from trees in the Bayou?
The bottles are placed over the branches of a dead tree or rod that stick upright out of the ground. ... The belief that spirits could live in these bottles quickly followed. The hope was that by hanging the bottles in a tree, evil spirits would find their way into the wine bottles and become stuck .
Why did slaves hang bottles in trees?
Most believe that bottle trees got their roots in the Congo area of Africa in the 9th Century A.D. and that the practice was brought over by slaves who hung blue bottles from trees and huts as talismans to ward off evil spirits .
Why are some wine bottles blue?
Traditionally, the color signaled the wine's origin: brown meant Rheingau; green, Mosel. During the 1980s, some German Riesling producers started switching to blue bottles to distinguish themselves from the rest.
How long does a bottle tree take to grow?
The characteristic bottle shape should develop in approximately five to eight years . The canopy will also thin out during a drought. The species is endemic to a limited region of Australia namely Central Queensland through to northern New South Wales.
What is a bottle tree called?
The Baobab is a tree native to Africa, with huge trunks and large spread. Due to its various uses, it is also called ‘the tree of life'. This is called the ‘bottle tree' because of its structure.
Why is it unwise to leave glass bottles in a forest?
It is unwise to leave glass bottles in a forest because the sun's rays will converge at the focus of the glass bottle and the heat produced due to the concentration of sunlight may ignite the bottle which can cause forest fire.
How do you make a bottle tree out of rebar?
- Purchase a metal collar in which you can encircle your rebar branches or plan to weld the rebar together.
- Rent a conduit bender if you want to bend the rebar dramatically.
- Drive stakes into the holes where the rebar will go. ...
- Weld your rebar together if you want to.
Are bottle trees toxic?
Pachypodium lealii, the bottle tree, is a species of plant included in the genus Pachypodium. ... The plant produces a watery latex, rich in toxic alkaloids , used by local populations as arrow poison for hunting.
Is blue glass worth anything?
Moderately priced vintage selections in cobalt blue vary widely in variety and price. You can still find a single Chevron milk pitcher or violin-shaped bottle in this color for well under 30 dollars . Authentic Shirley Temple pieces from the Depression-era can still be found for under 50 dollars apiece.
Are amber or blue bottles better?
Cobalt Blue Glass? Amber glass offers protection from most light wavelengths under 450 nm, making it the best choice for optimum protection against damaging UV light. ... Cobalt glass bottles can provide adequate protection from light depending on your product as it absorbs more light than clear glass bottles.
What water is in a blue bottle?
Enter SOL Water , a blue glass water bottle that, when left in sunlight, transforms water into purified healing water. It sounds a little outlandish, sure, but so does sticking tiny needles in various locations on your body to relieve aches and pains.
