I've just come back to the UK from the Bergen/Celle area of Germany, where we saw trees of maybe 2.5-3 metres laid against doorways, often in pairs. All I can find out from the 'Net is this:

Pentecost is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter ... Also, in more traditional areas of Germany, people still decorate their house doors or cars with fresh green twigs, called "Maien," a custom that has been observed since the Middle Ages.

A tree that big is a rather generous interpretation of a 'fresh green twig', but it is clearly related.


Can anyone tell me more about it?