ResortQuest Hilton Head Honors Lowcountry Culture with the Annual Gullah Celebration, February 1 – 28, 2010

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has a long history of culture rooted in the early settlement and colonization of the United States. The Gullah Celebration is a unique event that pays homage to the culture and language of the original “Gullah”, West African slaves who were brought to work the cotton plantations of the South. ResortQuest Hilton Head offers vacation rentals and condominiums on Hilton Head Island and is proud to support the Gullah Celebration, a Hilton Head cultural event.

January 23, 2010 Hilton Head Island SC – Although its origins are rooted in slave history of the South, the Gullah Celebration in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has become a tribute to West African language, crafts, culture and art. Described as “One of the cultural wonders of the world you must see,” by USA Today, the Gullah Celebration spans the month of February, and is hosted by the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Assocation, Inc (NIBAA).

The original “Gullah” were African slaves who were shipped across the Atlantic from West Africa to work the cotton plantations of the South. Out of this slavery was born a unique culture that is now known as Gullah. Although commonly associated with the language of these West African immigrants, the essence of Gullah encompasses the struggle, spirituality, perseverance and tradition of the people. The modern day Gullah subscribe to high religion and the celebration of spiritual redemption in leading their daily lives. The culture is a thriving mix of language, folktales and superstition that has shaped generations of families who live on Hilton Head Island and in the Lowcountry today.

Schedule of events for the month includes: De Aarts Ob We People XII Art Show & Sale, an Ol’ Fashioned Gullah Breakfast, National Freedom Day, A Gullah Film Fest Series, A Taste of Gullah – Food & Entertainment, The Arts, Crafts & Food Expo on Presidents Day Weekend, and The Youth Musical.

For additional information regarding event schedules, group ticket sales, or hotel and travel information, contact the Gullah Celebration Hotline: (877) 650-0676 or locally: (843) 689-9314, or visit www.gullahcelebration.com.

ResortQuest Hilton Head Island supports this celebration of local culture and community awareness. Guests searching to experience the Gullah Celebration this February can book vacation rentals and condominiums on Hilton Head Island through the ResortQuest Hilton Head Island vacation rentals website, www.resortquesthiltonhead.com. The Hilton Head Island vacation rentals offered by ResortQuest Hilton Head Island offer the space, amenities and location ideally suited for a family retreat. Guests enjoy free tennis, discounted golf, free DVD rentals and the exclusive ResortQuest Recommends program offering deals and discounts on over 160 restaurants, shops and activities. All vacation rentals offer fully-equipped kitchens for family meals and immediate access to beaches, tennis, golf and water sports.

In addition to attending the annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration which gives visitors the opportunity to share in rich cultural traditions and crafts; while in town, guests can also visit Mitchelville - the first freed Negro township; Gullah Heritage Trail - Hilton Head Island; Ibile Indigo House - a working studio where visitors learn the tradition of West African indigo-dye processes and products; Zion Chapel of Ease - Hilton Head's oldest cemetery; Queen Chapel AME Church - established in 1860 as a "praise house" for Pope Plantation slaves.

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Hilton Head Vacation Rentals

Blue-bottle trees -- A throwback to Gullah traditions

Article courtesy of www.theislandpacket.com
By JEFF KIDD
jkidd@beaufortgazette.com
843-706-8175
Published Friday, December 11, 2009

An authentic relic of African culture, or a modern-day fad with the historical relevance of a Snuggie?

Spirit-catcher, old-time bug zapper or mere decoration?

Shabby chic, or just plain tacky?

Blue-bottle trees adorn many a Lowcountry garden and roadside stand, and their cobalt ornamentation makes them undeniably eye-catching. They generally are believed to be derived from African-American folk art, but little is documented about their origins, according to Rosalyn Browne, Penn Center's director of history and culture.

And that only adds to their mystery.

So The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet pose seven questions to explain the history and appeal of the blue-bottle tree.

• So which is it -- do blue-bottle trees have roots in African-American culture, or are they simply a fad designed to tap the wallet of gullible tourists?: Browne says that despite scant documentation of their origins, blue-bottle trees are an authentic piece of southern and African-American culture. She points to a book by a professor at the State University of New York tracing their use to religous rituals in the Congo.

Mary Inabinett Mack, owner of the Red Piano Too Art Gallery on St. Helena Island, agrees blue-bottle trees are authentic.

In the interest of full disclosure, Mack's shop sells the yard and garden decorations (sans blue bottles.) But she also recalls her grandmother tying blue bottles to the branches of a magnolia tree in her yard, a memory dating at least to the 1940s.

"That goes back to a tradition in the African-American community when we used to sweep and decorate the yard," Mack said.

• What, exactly, is the significance of the blue-bottle tree?: According to several sources, the trees are used to keep evil spirits --"haints" or "wooly boogers," for example -- out of one's home. They even are effective on a particularly nasty goblin known as a "plat eye" -- in Gullah culture, the evil spirit of someone improperly buried, according to the Web site Moonlitroad.com.

The spirits come out at dusk and are beckoned inside by slanting light refracted through the sparkling blue bottles. Once inside, the spirits are trapped. Some say they are vaporized when the bottles are flooded with morning sun. Others say the spirits simply cannot escape the bottle and that you can hear them moaning in agony when the wind blows through the tree branches.

• Why the color blue?: Today, you can find the trees adorned with bottles of many colors, but blue is particularly popular and particularly true to the tree's origins. Browne says the color blue long has been believed to ward off evil spirits.

"In fact, the aspect of using colors and symbols -- related to good spirits and bad sprits -- came with the Africans themselves, as they came to the Americas from Africa or the Caribbean," Browne said.

That belief in the power of colors also explains blue doors and blue porch ceilings -- both are so painted to keep evil from crossing the threshold into a home. Blue-bottle trees prevent the spirits from even getting that close.

Some say the blue-bottle trees did a fair job of ridding homes of more terrestrial nuisances -- bugs.

According to the blogger The Lazy Gardener, the lime once used to make blue bottles also is an insect repellent that keeps skeeters and noseeums out of your house. This doesn't work anymore, though -- apparently, lime no longer is used to turn things blue.

• How are blue-bottle trees made?: Mack recalls her grandmother tying blue bottles to a magnolia. A crape myrtle mature and sturdy enough to support the weight of the bottles is another popular choice, with the branches simply inserted into the bottle necks.

Some artists now craft artificial trees made of wood or metal rods. Mack sells in her store trees made by a man in Aiken. A blue-bottle tree behind her store was constructed by a Hank Herring, a Beaufort resident, artist, retired Marine and former part-time employee of Red Piano Too.

• What is the most difficult part of assembling a blue-bottle tree?: Many say it is finding the blue bottles, particularly those in the distinctive cobalt shade usually associated with the trees. Milk of Magnesia, Vick's Salve or certain brands of bottled water are highly sought-after.

Mack has a tree in her yard that she has festooned with pint jars she found at a Dollar General store and bottles of the energy drink Bawls. Also used are wine bottles -- she once purchased a case of a particular vintage from a Rhode Island vineyard just to have the distinctive, blue bottles.

"If I see a blue bottle of wine, a lot of times I'll buy it whether I like the wine or not," she said.

• What's the second-most difficult part of assembling a blue-bottle tree?: Sometimes, getting permission, as Hilton Head Island couple Deborah Brooks and James Borton discovered in August 2008.

They erected a tree outside their home -- apropos, it seemed to them, since they lived in a neighborhood carved from land off Spanish Wells Road that long was used by African-American families.

"We moved into an area where our bottle tree could be considered a small part of what we've all taken from this area," Brooks told The Island Packet.

But the Oakview neighborhood has restrictive covenants, and the bottle tree fell among other no-nos islanders are familiar with: No clothes lines, fences, statuary or structures in the yard.

• Just how "Lowcountry" are blue-bottle trees?: They're strongly associated with the area because of their African-American/Gullah roots, but they hardly are unique to the Lowcountry.

One Web site devoted to bottle trees displays pictures of them from many southern states, Australia, France, the Netherlands and even exotic locales such as Oklahoma.

RESORTQUEST HILTON HEAD ISLAND HONORS CULTURE WITH THE ANNUAL GULLAH CELEBRATION

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has a long history of culture rooted in the early settlement and colonization of the United States. The Gullah Celebration is a unique event that pays homage to the culture and language of the original “Gullah”, West African slaves who were brought to work the cotton plantations of the South. ResortQuest Hilton Head offers vacation rentals and condominiums on Hilton Head Island and is proud to support the Gullah Celebration, a Hilton Head cultural event.

February 4, 2009 Hilton Head Island SC – Although its origins are rooted in slavery, the Gullah culture and celebration in Hilton Head Island and the surrounding “Lowcountry” coastal region of South Carolina has become a tribute to West African language, crafts, culture and art. Described as “One of the cultural wonders of the world you must see,” by USA Today, the Gullah Celebration spans the month of February, and is hosted by the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Assocation, Inc (NIBAA). Schedule of events includes: De Aarts Ob We People XII Art Show & Sale, an Ol’ Fashioned Gullah Breakfast, National Freedom Day Banquet, A Gullah Film Fest Series, A Taste of Gullah – Food & Entertainment, A Celebration of Low Country Authors and Books, the Arts, Crafts & Food Expo on Presidents Day Weekend, De Gullah Playhouse, and Youth Musical.

The original “Gullah” were African slaves who were shipped across the Atlantic from West Africa to work the cotton plantations of the South. Out of this slavery was born a unique culture that is now known as Gullah. Although commonly associated with the language of these West African immigrants, the essence of Gullah encompasses the struggle, spirituality, perseverance and tradition of the people.

The modern day Gullah subscribe to high religion and the celebration of spiritual redemption in leading their daily lives. The culture is a thriving mix of language, folktales and superstition that has shaped generations of families who live on Hilton Head Island and in the Lowcountry today.

ResortQuest Hilton Head Island supports this celebration of local culture and community awareness. Guests searching to experience the Gullah Celebration this February can book vacation rentals and condominiums on Hilton Head Island through the ResortQuest Hilton Head Island website. The Hilton Head Island condominiums and private vacation homes offered by ResortQuest Hilton Head Island offer the space, amenities and location ideally suited for a family retreat. Guests enjoy free tennis, discounted golf, free DVD rentals and the exclusive ResortQuest Recommends program offering deals and discounts on over 160 restaurants, shops and activities. All vacation rentals offer fully-equipped kitchens for family meals and immediate access to beaches, tennis, golf and water sports.
In addition to attending the annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration which gives visitors the opportunity to share in rich cultural traditions and crafts; while in town, guests can also visit Mitchelville - the first freed Negro township; Gullah Heritage Trail - Hilton Head Island; Ibile Indigo House - a working studio where visitors learn the tradition of West African indigo-dye processes and products; Zion Chapel of Ease - Hilton Head's oldest cemetery; Queen Chapel AME Church - established in 1860 as a "praise house" for Pope Plantation slaves.
Hilton Head Island visitors can immerse themselves in Gullah culture year round with a visit to De Gullah Creations. Located in Shelter Cove Mall, this unique consignment store is a cultural co-op owned and operated by the native Gullah community and is dedicated to improving the economic condition of the Gullah community and to providing a unique showcase for the talented artisans who celebrate and capture Lowcountry life.

Check out this video for more information on the Hilton Head Gullah:

is giving you more for your money in March!

Visitors to ResortQuest Hilton Head receive special lodging rates through ResortQuest. ResortQuest's "More for your Money" March promotion offers 30% off all lodging in Hilton Head. Guests must mention booking code INT MYM and book no later than March 1, 2009. The promotion is valid for any stay between March 1 and March 31, 2009.