'Palmbosch'n'
The farmers in the Berchtesgaden area have been using modern tractors for decades now, the cows are pumped by electric milking machines and most farmers' wives wouldn't know how to get by without their microwave in the kitchen. And yet, the Berchtesgadeners still believe in the 'magic powers' of the Palmbosch'n (literally 'palm bushes'). One does not find a farm in the area that isn't decorated in spring with so-called palm bushes that ornament the entire house from the bedrooms to the stables. It is, in fact, a willow branch, measuring between 60 and 140 cm (two to five feet) in length, that is used instead of a palm leaf - hard to come by in the area!