A bottle tree, with its colorful glass bottles, is more than quirky decor—it’s a tradition rooted in 9th-century Central Africa, brought to the American South by enslaved Africans. Evolving through cultural fusion, it symbolizes protection and heritage, especially in Southern African American communities. Bright bottles

attract and trap evil spirits, sealed by sunlight, with wind creating haunting whistles from their cries. Placed near homes or graves, they ward off negative energy, each bottle carrying a story of ritual and belief. Today, bottle trees are admired for their charm but remain a testament to resilience and ancestral reverence.