Vermont, South Africa

Vermont is a small resort village located near Hermanus, on western coast of South Africa, adjacent to the town of Onrus; where a river of the same name, cascades through a lagoon and empties into the sea.  Its closest metropolis is  Cape Town, (where about two-thirds of it's Western Cape Province resides).  Vermont is in the district of Overberg, and in the municipality of Overstrand.  I believe the village of Vermont's original inhabitants were of Dutch descent.  

Photo source:  blog.dhec.co.za

The area boasts dunes, tidal pools, as well as sandy beaches and a rocky coastline.  Many seeking vacations, or need a break from busy Cape Town, come in groves, to bask in the sunshine on Onrus Beach.  Should you seek such a holiday, luxury accommodations await you, according to many of the real estate advertisements that you can easily find on the Web.

Cape Town, South Africa - source: nationalgeographic

Vermont's backdrop to the north is Onrust Mountain, and presumably named.  as you well know, as being roughly translated from the french words, verde monte meaning "Green Mountain".  

Photo source:  taliagoestoafrica.blogspot.com

Vermont appears to be quite pristine, known mostly as a sea-side resort, however it also is home to the "Vermont Salt Pan Nature Conservancy", which are protected wetlands.  Some of these areas are critically threatened, due to construction and development, during the latter half of the last century.  The salt pan (once scraped, most likely for human consumption) has been the home of a large population of birds. Rare plant life which includes beautiful and endangered orchids, rare flora and some of the smallest plant kingdoms in the world - as well as the largest carnivorous plant in the world!  

Drosera (sundew plant) - Source: wikipedia.com

Roridula, the largest carnivorous plant in the world!
- Source: floristtaxonomy.com

"South Africa has a great diversity of insect eating plants, mainly belonging to the genus Drosera (commonly called sundews). These plants capture their prey using sticky droplets on their leaves. The leaves of some species curl slowly around the prey enveloping them and exuding digestive enzymes...  The giant of the carnivorous plant world is called Roridula (or vlieëbos in Afrikaans). This plant can get up to two meters tall and like drosera, its leaves are bedecked in hairs with sticky droplets. The droplets are resinous and much more sticky than Drosera traps. In fact one species of Roridula (Roridula dentata) is even capable of capturing small birds."  Source:  fernkloof.com/

You will not find elephants, lions or rhinos here, as it is home to smaller animal species such as mongoose, bushbuck, clawless otters, duiker, grysbok and steenbok.

Bushbuck -  Source: wildliferanching.com

Clawless Otter - Source: en.wikipedia

Duiker - Source: awf.org

Grysbok - Source: krugerpark.co.za

Steenbok - Source: sa-venues.com

Other small size animal species make their home in this area. Both greater and lesser flamingos now spend their winters in this region - actually up to 6 months of the year!

Photo source;  tripadvisor.co.uk.

"Other wetland birds often seen around the pan include cormorants, herons, Egyptian geese, red-knobbed coots, African snipes, waterhens, blacksmith plowers, black-winged stilts, black crakes and many more."   Source:  geocaching.com

Flamingos near Vermont - Source: tripadvisor

The green belts now, are "priority conservation areas", and several extenuating circumstances that threatened this rare and beautiful land which included private land ownership, lack of funding specifically for protection and/or conservation, invasive vegetation infestation and illegal pollution from previous developers.  However, in recent years, this area has come under scrutiny and serious efforts are being made for its preservation, its natural tranquility, the *endemic fynbos as well as its bird-life. 

Photo source:  xplorio.com (Hermanus)

Vermont has also been a favorite location for many artists during the last century.  In the surrounding area of Hermanus, there are several art galleries and museums from which to choose.  It appears there is also some great shopping adventures to be had with fashion boutiques, jewelry shops, outlets and malls all in the surrounding region.

Zipline in South Africa - Source: sa-venues.com

But your adventure will not end here, as there are many other activities in which one may indulge.  Along it's coast line, you can watch the whales play in the ocean, or, if you are brave enough, you can submerge yourself in the ocean to white shark cage dive.  

Cage Shark Diving - Source:  gansbaaisharkdiving.co.za

Hiking, bird-watching, horse-back riding para-gliding, and mountain-biking are some of the popular activities for tourists and the local population.   There is also kayaking, a zipline tour, (pictured above), a variety of restaurants, river cruises, whale watches, and spas.

Photo source: percytours.com

Hey! Northern "Vermonters"!  You can go sand-boarding!  

Sandboarding: 

"The wind swept ... dune ... is a prime location to experience down-hill adventure to the max. At 200 [meters] atop the dune one can reach great speeds and enjoy the ultimate adrenaline buzz." - Source: sa-venues.com

Photo source: winealign.wordpress.com

AVERAGE WEATHER IN HERMANUS, SOUTH AFRICA

~Hermanus has dry periods in January, February, March, November and December.
~On average, the warmest month is January.
~On average, the coolest month is August.
~June is the wettest month.
~January is the driest month

Source:  weather-and-climate.com

PLACES TO EXPLORE in the Vermont-Hermanus area: 
(links are live)

The Old Fishing Harbor Museum

The Rossouw Modern Art Gallery 

The Walker Bay Art Gallery

Lembu Gallery and Studio

And check out "Hermanus First Fridays Artwalk" on Facebook:

*endemic fynbos (about):  "South Africa’s Western Cape is more botanically diverse than the richest tropical rainforest in South America, including the Amazon."  Of the 9,000 plant species found here, a majority are native fynbos vegetation, which covers the region's magnificent mountains, and lowland valleys and coastal plains.  A large number of fynbos species are very rare and in danger of becoming extinct. Constantly under threat from invading plant species, particularly wattle and acacia trees from Australia, as well as from urban expansion and land conversion for agriculture."

Source:  panda

Photo source: cheapvacationholiday.com

Soon, we'll explore Vermont, Australia!

"HAINT" Talkin' 'bout Love

Haint Blue

If you have traveled through the deep south, or, have been fortunate enough to relax on a sleepy, grand columned veranda on a warm Savannah afternoon, to sip a mint julep or a glass of sweet tea, you may have noticed the ceiling of the porch is painted blue.  This blue, called Haint Blue, is mostly prevalent in the American South.

Source: pinterest

Interestingly enough, "haint blue" can be found in a broad array of colors and you can't quite label it "haint" because it "ain't" just one color!  "Haint Blue" is used widely, but it's actual description is murky, as it can be found in a shades of periwinkle to blue violet to sky-blue (to mirror the sky); to sea-foam green (to mirror the sea).  It has been used as ceiling paint for porches, and in some cases, doors, shutters and trim-work.  Here is the best description I could find:

"Haint blue is not a specific tint or shade, but rather refers to any kind of blue paint used for the purposes of warding the house against harm." - wiki

Random Thought:

The band Type O Negative's song Entitled "Black No. 1",  makes a suggestion to "Little Miss Scare All",

Yeah you wanna go out

'cause it's raining and blowing.

You can't go out

'cause your roots are showing.

♫ ♪ Dye 'em black ♪ ♫

Perhaps a similar notion was initially employed in the southern United States, to ward off evil from their homes?  I digress....

Photo: willowbeeinspired.blogspot

Photo: apartment therapy

Origins

"Haint" is a Southern colloquialism which means "ghost" or "spirit", and is a variation of the word "haunt"; and, by employing haint blue by means of painting porch ceilings and such, is used in an effort to "confuse" spirits  or to discourage them from crossing into one's home.  In theory, it is a form of magic!

Haint Blue was created by the descendants of African Slaves known as the Geechee.  Historically, the tribe was known as the Gullah.  Speculatively, since they settled in the region near the Ogeechee River near Savannah (Georgia), they were/are often referred to as The Geechee. At one time the Gullah region encompassed a region from Cape Fear, North Carolina to the Jacksonville area of Florida. Today, it is generally South Carolina to Georgia's Low-Country. The Geechee used their tradition of painting sections of their shacks/homes shades of blue, by mixing milk, lime and indigo dyes. Ironically, lime is a natural repellent of insects, which is why - even today - the color is often believed to keep wasps, mosquitoes and other bugs from nesting in corners of porches!

Indigo dye is made from a plant extraction obtained from those in the genus Indigofera, which are native to the tropics. 

Lime (material) photo courtesy of castleheritage.co.uk

The Geechee believed that Haints were evil spirits, those that were not kind, but angry entities who thrived on creating harm, hardship and heartbreak of humans.

These spirits were thought to strongly dislike water, so in an effort to fool the spirits, the Geechee painted any possible crossings (doors, windows, thresholds, and so on) blue or blue green to look like a source of water, thereby confusing the spirits and sending them elsewhere. This tradition won the hearts of their owners who began the practice of painting their respective porch ceilings, shutters and trim work Haint Blue.

"Haints, or haunts, are spirits trapped between the world of the living and the world of the dead. These are not your quiet, floaty, sorrowful ghosts, they are the kind you don’t want to mess with, and the kind you certainly don’t want invading into your humble abode looking for revenge. 

Luckily, the Gullah people remembered an important footnote to the haint legend. These angry spirits have a kryptonite: they cannot cross water. The safest place would be in an underwater bubble, or perhaps to surround your house with a moat. But the Gullah people had a much more elegant solution. They would dig a pit in the ground, fill it with lime, milk, and whatever pigments they could find, stir it all together, and paint the mixture around every opening into their homes. The haints, confused by these watery pigments, are tricked into thinking they can’t enter." -http://historiesofthingstocome.blogspot.com/2011/09/history-of-colour-haint-blue.html

art found on tumblr

VooDoo

           

"Voodoo is a religion that originated from Africa in the Kongo and Fon regions approximately 6,000 years ago. "Voodoo" means "sacred" or "spirit" in Fon. They believe in a supreme god in Voodoo such as the god Bondye in Haiti. This deity is extremely powerful and intangible of humans. Only with the help of thousands of believers and spirits, can they reach Bondye, known as Ioa or Iwa in Haiti. Voodoo is a spoken tradition, so there is no one book to which a believer can refer." 

"The practitioners of Voodoo, often called Voodooists, believe the real world is intertwined with the spirit world. When we die, we pass over to that unseen realm where we can still observe and even help or harm the living. The spirit world also contains the Lwa, which embody certain characteristics, such as bravery or kindness. There are numerous spirits each possessing different degrees of each characteristic. The Voodooist seeks their counsel and advice through ceremonies and offerings. Voodoo spirits can also take over the bodies of believers, commanding those bodies to do their bidding. There are no unifying sacred writings or scripture in Voodoo."

"Beliefs in these Voodoo spirits came to the Americas with Africans who were captured as slaves more than 400 years ago. People from different villages lived and worked together in the New World and combined their traditions. Voodoo continues today in Haiti, Cuba, Brazil and New Orleans, but this Voodoo is somewhat different from the traditional African version. In the Americas, slaves often mixed their African religion with their captors' Catholicism and with Native American religious beliefs. They melded Roman Catholic saints with their familiar Voodoo spirits. Voodoo priests, like Catholic priests, are respected members of the community whose intercessions with the spirits are necessary. Priests perform healing rituals as well as provide counseling and practical help. Spirits don't just assist people with their troubles, however. Just like Christianity, Islam and several other large religions, Voodoo features malevolent spiritual figures who can act out to do harm to the living. Part of the tradition of Voodoo is this spiritual struggle between the forces of good and evil." -curiosity.com

  

" Voodoo is based on the belief in the presence of powerful yet invisible forces (les invisibles) that directly affect our lives and behavior. In times of crisis, a believer may invoke the aid of these spirits, also referred to as loa, for support and assistance. (Christians can invoke the so-called Holy Spirit for similar support.) This conception of metaphysical forces that can be both harmful and helpful is found in all religions. The ancient Greeks called them daimones. Other religions refer to them as angels and demons. (Actually, the word demon derives from daimon, but carries only the negative aspect of the daimonic.) In shamanism, they are known as spiritus familiares, "winged ones," supernatural beings not unlike angels but different: If the shaman accepts and cooperates with these spirits, they become helpful. But if he or she rejects or resists them, they turn demonic and destructive." -Psychology today

A simplified explanation of VooDoo:  From WiseGeek.com:

"The widely held image of Voodoo in the Western world is one of wax dolls with pins sticking out of them and black magic. It is, however, one of the world’s most ancient religions. Voodoo arrived in the West during the slave trading days, and the basis of the religion came from Africa. The practice as it is most widely known was structured in Haiti, where a variety of different ethnic groups amalgamated their traditions into this form of the religion.

Voodoo is a West African word meaning "spirit," and comes from term vodun. The basic ethos of the religion is that everything in the universe is connected. Nothing happens by chance in this world, and there are no accidents. Everything that one person does to another, he is doing to himself, because he is that person.

Religious ceremonies contain prayers, dancing, and rituals, as well as animal sacrifices. The figure of the snake plays a major part in the rituals, and the high priest or priestess will embody the serpent’s power. Spirits of wealth, nature, and happiness possess the bodies of believers at the ceremony. Dancing and music are also major elements. In the West, the dancing has often been portrayed as sexual, but that is not its main purpose: it's a way to connect with spirits and the spirit world.

Voodoo is an important part of family life in any community that practices it. The high priest has a great deal of influence and gives spiritual advice when it is asked for. He or she is also seen as a healer and practices with herbs and medicines. The knowledge that the high priestess has gained will have been passed along through prior generations.

Practitioners also use spells, most of which are performed to evoke good, not harm. There are healing spells, love spells, and spells to celebrate joy. The image of black magic and harmful spells was mainly founded by Europeans who had a distrust of anything African.

Voodoo is practiced as a religion in a number of countries around the world. In Brazil, it is called Candomble, and in the Caribbean, it is called Obeah. In 2003, the government of Haiti sanctioned it as an official religion, so believers can be baptized and married within the practice. It has taken centuries for this official action to happen, however, and believers say it will take more than an official show of faith to make up for the persecution that followers have had to contend with. There are millions of people in Haiti alone who share this faith."

SYMBOLS (Called Veve or Vévé ):

In Vodoun (Voodoo) practice, Veves are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. They are similar to the sigils used in ritual magic.  Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or a similar substance prior to a ritual. The ability to draw a Veve correctly is considered to be a particular skill of the initiate. A veve is believed to be more powerful if it is drawn with the correct details.

OTHER SOURCES:

http://www.omplace.com/articles/Voodoo_History.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodun

http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/biglist.htm

Looking for an online voodoo spell? Try this link:
 http://www.ancientvoodoo.com/spell.php