Tradition in the Coptic Orthodox Church has it that at present day Matariya, Joseph stuck his staff in the sand and Baby Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the staff, and a well of pure water sprung up there. The Family drank from the water, and Mary used it to wash the baby’s clothes. The staff is said to have grown into a tree which bore sweet-smelling balsam or balm. Since that time the area has been famous as the ‘land of the balsam’, and this tree, whether or not it is the original, is known as Mary’s Tree.