Residents of the city of Eten – located in the coastal province of Chiclayo – have woven a Guinness-record-sized hat with 28 kilograms of the finest macora palm straw imported from Ecuador.
The hat, which took artisans six months to weave and is now registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest and finest Panama hat, has an 80-centimeter-wide crown, a 78-centimeter-wide skirt and stands three meters high.
“We didn’t know if the hat could be completed in so little time, but the artisan women worked day and night,” said Eten Crafts Fair President, Víctor Eduardo Zarpán Neciosup. “They first selected the finest straw brought from neighboring Ecuador and then washed it. It has been six months of arduous work.”
The hat was woven to commemorate the anniversary of the Eucharistic Miracle of Eten. In a Host exposed for public worship more than 360 years ago, residents and Franciscan monk Jerome de Silva Manrique reported that the Christ Child and three interconnected hearts of a brilliant white color appeared before them. Since then, from July 12-24, residents and thousands of faithful celebrate a feast in honor of this event.
The hat will be on display in Eten’s Multisectorial Association, located on the city’s main plaza.
