Frangipani by myautofocuslife

Frangipani

I think the frangipani is a beautiful flower. But did you know that, in Southeast Asia, it is a flower associated with the pontianak, which is Malay for vampire? Ever since I was a kid, I have heard stories, and the most common one goes like this: If you're walking alone by yourself, late at night, and you get a sudden whiff of the sweet scent of the frangipani, and then hear someone calling to you from behind, never, NEVER, EVER turn around.

Speaking of spooky tales, according to the lunar calendar, it is now the seventh month, which is also popularly known as the Hungry Ghosts Festival. It is observed by the Chinese population. During the seventh month, the gates of hell open and ghosts and spirits are free to wander. People burn incense and make offerings to these "good brothers" to promote a harmonious atmosphere, so that the month will pass without incident.

There are many taboos to be observed. People avoid getting married during this month, or moving into a new home, and will make it a point not to stay out past midnight. Sometimes, live singing shows are staged. (Many years ago, it used to be Chinese opera.) If you go to one, you'll notice that the first row of seats are always left empty. You should never try to sit in any of them. Why? Because they are meant for the spirits.

Beautiful
August 23rd, 2012  
beautiful pov and soft colours
August 23rd, 2012  
Frangipani is such a beautiful flower and this is an excellent macro.
August 23rd, 2012  
Gorgeous shot but I loved the commentary having never heard that before.
I enjoy a good vampire story. Hungry Ghosts sounds like All Hallow's Eve - Halloween. But that is just one night - not a month long celebration.
August 23rd, 2012  
Fantastic Macro and great story.
August 23rd, 2012  
Thanks for the great story! Beautiful pic too.
August 23rd, 2012  
gorgeous capture and a great background story on the flower. This looks so much like Plumeria, I wonder if they're related...?
August 23rd, 2012  
@cdonohoue The greatest difference between the Hungry Ghosts Festival and Halloween is probably one of mood. It's a somber mood here, because everyone is diligent about not drawing the attention or ire of the wandering spirits. No one refers to them as "ghosts" or "spirits" but as "the good brothers", because it's a more respectful term. If someone accidentally disturbs the offerings left by the roadside for the spirits, one would apologize, and say "I'm sorry" in a serious tone.
August 23rd, 2012  
@socalgal It's Plumeria. Frangipani is the common name. 8)
August 23rd, 2012  
Love it!
August 23rd, 2012  
Love the tight crop and the fabulous detail - a beautiful macro.
The perfume is so sweet and heady too.
August 23rd, 2012  
Gorgeous close up, lovely colors and tones
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful, love frangipani. I have one with pink blooms in my garden. So interesting to hear the traditions surrounding this flower.
August 23rd, 2012  
I love this, Livia. Such a delicate, beautiful flower and I love the smell. And, thanks for all the info.
August 23rd, 2012  
Exllent information, most I did not know..Thanks for sharing your knowledge and gorgeous photo!
August 23rd, 2012  
Love to hear about life in different parts of the world! Very interesting traditions, I love how respectful they (you?) are to other-worldly spirits and that there is such a bond between this world and the next in asian cultures!
August 23rd, 2012  
Gorgeous shot and interesting narrative.
August 23rd, 2012  
So pretty it looks a lot like the plumeria flower too.
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
The composition and the delicate looking flower is......beautiful.
August 23rd, 2012  
Very beautiful capture of the flowers and great and interesting info
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful close-up - love the simple but dramatic structure of this flower.
August 23rd, 2012  
Great story. We used to have them in our front garden in Zambia - good job we didn't have your account then!
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful shot Livia
August 23rd, 2012  
Huuuuuummmm, it smells so good !
August 23rd, 2012  
Great story and a beautiful photo to go with it. Love your composition and detail you have captured =)
August 23rd, 2012  
Great photo, and very interesting information!
August 23rd, 2012  
ahhh my favorite flower
August 23rd, 2012  
I cant believe how much detail you've got! xx
August 23rd, 2012  
Love your story and the beautiful capture of that bloom. The colour and lighting are just perfect. Fav
August 23rd, 2012  
I love these flowers - they remind me of my honeymoon so thank you for posting this :) I love the composition too :x
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful shot - and the description is fascinating.
August 23rd, 2012  
Ian
Beautiful capture Livia
August 23rd, 2012  
Love the comp and the focus. Always looking forward to the story of the day.
August 23rd, 2012  
Pretty!
August 23rd, 2012  
Gorgeous capture! Love the lighting.
August 23rd, 2012  
Very beautiful and I love the smell of these flowers.
August 23rd, 2012  
So pretty and learned a thing or two about the good brothers! I love Halloween but it is anything but somber!
August 23rd, 2012  
Do you know I never knew frangipani was a flower! I adore the smell so goodness knows where I imagined the oil to come from! Superstitions are a strange old being aren't they?
Beautiful pov, would love to see a full one
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful shot of a lovely flower! That's really intestesting information, too!
August 23rd, 2012  
Lovely image Livia, and fascinating information, wish I'd had teachers who held my interest like you do :)
August 23rd, 2012  
I think I saw that connection to Vampires on a TV programme - lovely flower and shot
August 23rd, 2012  
I do love macro work. It's amazing what we don't see with the naked eye. Until I read other folks' comments, I didn't know about its alternate name. Thanks for sharing the story too.
August 23rd, 2012  
Fabulous photograph and amazing story, Thanks Livia!
August 23rd, 2012  
My favourite flower and the only one I know how to draw. Gorgeous.
August 23rd, 2012  
Very interesting bit of culture and taboo mix; there are countless in Nigeria, mostly ghost or voodoo related, which naturally scared the living heck out of me as a kid!!! Lovely closeup and crop!!
August 23rd, 2012  
Beautiful!!
August 23rd, 2012  
Interesting info Livia, we have about 10 frangipani trees growing in our front and backyard.
August 23rd, 2012  
That was a great write up, Livia. I'm always interested in local folk lore. This is a beautiful close up too; I can almost smell them!
August 23rd, 2012  
Tia
Beautiful shot and great information too!
August 23rd, 2012  
Interesting story and a beautiful shot. I can almost smell the flowers.
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful pov and colors! Very interesting information!
August 24th, 2012  
Love the photo and pov! Stunning clarity and colors. Like no other that I've seen. I love this and it wouldn't "scare" me at all. Quite the story tho .. every country has their superstitions, I guess.
August 24th, 2012  
What a lovely flower - it's shame it has to be associated with fear!
August 24th, 2012  
A delightful capture!!
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful shot
August 24th, 2012  
What a gorgeous picture! I love it!
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous colours, and I like your composition of the centre of the flower. Beautiful details
August 24th, 2012  
Wonderful! Exquisite!
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous! Reminds me of living in Malaysia
August 24th, 2012  
Soo beautiful! you captured it perfectly - Fav!
August 24th, 2012  
Fabulous image!
August 24th, 2012  
Wonderful capture...beautiful flower .... your first story sent shivers up my spine! Spooky!
August 24th, 2012  
Oh my! Fabulous composition.
August 24th, 2012  
beautiful!!!
August 24th, 2012  
Wonderful shot Livia, and such interesting stories.
August 24th, 2012  
a beautiful flower and the scent is amazing! but I have never heard the story about it...kind of scary stuff!
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous!
August 24th, 2012  
beautiful color and focus Liv! I love all of your research!! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
August 24th, 2012  
I will never look at one of these the same again! ;) This is beautiful! I love those little tales!
August 24th, 2012  
Awesome capture Livia! I love them and their smell goes right to mu soul. Does that mean anything? It is so very strange that we have the same traditions about marriages and moving house and any big steps in the month of August. I wonder if there is a connection... will look into it though . Lovely story and stunning shot!
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful - really love the colors and the soft look of the image. After reading the very interesting caption the flower looks a bit melancholic :-). Vampires and flowers - what a combination.
August 24th, 2012  
Lovely shot August has always been my least favourite month
August 24th, 2012  
Lin
Such a wonderful story - and such a delightful picture of it, I love those tiny hairs deep in the middle! And the gentle colours remind me of its scent. Though I am NEVER going to look over my shoulder!
August 24th, 2012  
Lovely shot Livia. I love frangipanis - they remind me of my grandmother's place; and a house I had while I was in uni. Good times. Love the crop of this too - highlighting the most interesting part of the flower for me.
August 24th, 2012  
Brilliant capture and composition, Livia. Love the narrative.
August 24th, 2012  
very beautiful!
August 24th, 2012  
Love frangipani !! I'm off to Vanuatu next week, so I guess I'll be seeing a few of them (and so will you when I get home and upload my photos !!).
August 24th, 2012  
great information and they are one of my favourites too! Lovely image
August 24th, 2012  
Excellent capture! Love the composition and soft tones!
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous shot Livia. Stunning.
August 24th, 2012  
It's too beautiful to have such an eerie story associated with it...!
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful :)
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful shot! Love the very narrow DOF :)
August 24th, 2012  
I'll remember that next time I'm walking past the neighbourhood frangipani trees at night! Lovely shot.
August 24th, 2012  
Beautiful flower. I like how you've captured all the detail and kept it quite soft.
August 24th, 2012  
Terrific crop...wonderful colours and softness!
August 24th, 2012  
White + Yellow .. A cute flower. This is common in temples here in south part of India. But what I loved is the way you cropped. Lovely
August 24th, 2012  
Really beautiful shot!!!

Wow, all of that ... and from a frangipani! Never heard any of that before. Did you know there's now a climbing frangipani?? I had to buy it when I saw it in Bunnings a while back lol. The flowers are supposed to be the same!
August 24th, 2012  
Ooh ok little bit scaredy now! I adore frangipanis, they don't grow near me, I have to go to Queensland to see them, their scent is divine. I won't be walking past them at night tho', no way, I've been warned. ;)
August 24th, 2012  
Pam
I love that spooky story almost as much as I love that flower! A most beautiful shot!! The colors are so dreamy!
August 24th, 2012  
So beautiful and soft looking. I love it. Fav!
August 24th, 2012  
Interesting traditions....thanks for sharing!! I need to keep my eyes (and nostrils) open ;-) I googled frangipani and discovered they are quite prolific here in Florida. I probably pass them every day and don't know what they are. I need to remember to heed your warnings for sure!
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous shot! Lovely design!
August 24th, 2012  
So beautiful! Love the way you framed this shot.
August 24th, 2012  
so beautiful!
August 24th, 2012  
Pretty . love the fragrance.
August 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous, I wish these grew here. Also, loved the little history lesson ;).
August 24th, 2012  
gorgeous crop and gorgeous shot!
August 24th, 2012  
Favd. This is perfect
August 24th, 2012  
Wow! Gorgeous!!!
August 25th, 2012  
Such a pretty flower and I love their smell. I'll try to remember the warning when I'm in Singapore next year though! :) Wonderful shot!
August 25th, 2012  
Wow! Guess I just did not know that!, but a beautiful shot !
August 25th, 2012  
Such fabulous detail in this. My grandmother had a frangipani growing at her back door so the sight of them really takes me back.
August 25th, 2012  
Gorgeous macro.
August 25th, 2012  
Beautiful shot.
August 25th, 2012  
A great, big, soft, pretty and sweetly scented "THANK YOU!" to everyone for stopping by! I hope I didn't give anyone nightmares with the stories. I want to thank you for your support. Without it, I wouldn't still be here. Got to finish this project!

Again, thank you!

August 25th, 2012  
These are just beautiful flowers. You have captured so well...
August 25th, 2012  
interesting how similar the folklores are but it shouldn't come as a surprise because our people came from the same thread. i've never heard of frangipani relating to all the ghoulish stories though. although there were a lot of those trees in the cemetery, and i would know because i grew up next to one and i used to play on top of tombs. in our native language frangipani is calachuchi, which had since become a slang for a mistress. hmmm...bloodsuckers...hmmm...now that makes sense. :-)
August 25th, 2012  
btw, this might have been extinct now in the old country, didn't see any whilst i was there last year. i love the softness you've captured here. very nice.
August 25th, 2012  
I never knew it about frangipani, but then again, I only come across these blossoms only while travelling. I will be much wiser next time!
August 25th, 2012  
I also know the frangipani from West Africa - it's one of my favourite flowers, but I never knew the association with vampires. I love the scent but I will be careful in future if I smell it at night! This is a lovely picture that has brought back happy memories.
August 25th, 2012  
Beautiful how the yellow seems to bleed into the white
August 26th, 2012  
Beautiful flower and great capture. Certainly some food for thought in your narative.
August 26th, 2012  
I am so glad I clicked on this lovely little flower this morning. what I have learned................................ I agree with Lorena, the yellow bleeds into the white, really cool.
August 26th, 2012  
Great Photo and Information.
August 26th, 2012  
Love your flower shots as much as your insects! Gorgeous coloring here!
August 26th, 2012  
Fav for me, just beautiful =)
August 26th, 2012  
Love your scarry stories. Great macro too
August 26th, 2012  
So soft and featherlike! Fav!
August 27th, 2012  
Beautiful. Like a painting. I could have faved so many of your shots in the last 20 minutes, but this is the one for me, because of the skill in the shot.+F
August 27th, 2012  
Beautifully composed Livia and I greatly enjoyed your commentary!!
August 27th, 2012  
very cool.....soft shot....and thanks for all the very interesting info!
August 28th, 2012  
Beautiful capture. Great color and composition. Like the tale. Since I don't know what frangipani smells like, I guess I'd make a nice vampire snack.
As for the front row, strangely, I do something similar. Whenever I go out for a drink...which is rare these days, I never finish the glass. Always leave a good bit on the bottom for the dead in case their thirsty. Odd right?
August 29th, 2012  
Stunning
August 30th, 2012  
Beautiful, soft and dreamy. the story was great too. and spooky !
August 30th, 2012  
I love this flower and its smell.... remind me of my childhood!
August 31st, 2012  
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