Crazy festive record breakers you need to know about
While some people are happy with a cheery family lunch, others want to set the world alight over Christmas time. Read on to see how people managed to earn a festive Guinness World Record.
Imagine cramming hundreds of baubles into a beard. It is no easy task, says Joel Strasser from the USA, who in December 2022 set a world record by attaching a whopping 710 beard baubles to his mid-length beard.
Strasser is a serial record-setter, holding records for the most straws, chopsticks, golf fees, forks, toothpicks, pencils and clothes pegs in a beard. He set his first record for the most beard baubles in 2019 (a lowly 302) and has been breaking his own record each year since then (2020: 542 and 2021: 686).
When asked by Caxton Local Media if he would be attempting to break his record again this year, Strasser said: “I am working out a few details. This year, I may break the record for most candy canes in a beard instead, but the date hasn’t been finalised yet.”
Watch Joel transform his beard here:
Largest gathering of Santas
It was not a blanket of snow, but rather a sea of red that covered Thrissur, the cultural capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala, in December 2014, when the record for the ‘Largest gathering of Santas’ was set.
With the region’s December daytime temperatures averaging around 30°C, snow would have been gratefully welcomed by the thousands of people wearing red Santa suits, hats and beards. Instead, 18 112 people sweltered while patiently waiting to enter the Nagar Saktan Thampuran Ground, where the record attempt was to be made. It was slow going because each Santa’s identity needed to be verified to enable the officials from Guinness World Records to officially declare a world record.
Participants completed bar-coded entry forms in the months leading up to the event, and these were verified via fingerprints at the gate on the day.
Also read: Craighall Collective brings Christmas magic to Joburg’s top market
The event was organised by Thrissur Citizenry and Thrissur Archdiocese and named ‘Boun Natale 2014’ (Merry Christmas).
According to the National Catholic Register, Thrissur is home to India’s largest Christian population.
Most snowmen built in one hour
Oddly enough, the world record for the ‘Most snowmen built in an hour’ was set in February and not December.
Guinness World Records says that on February 28, 2015, 2 036 snowmen were built by 1 406 people at Zuriyama Observation Field in Akabira, Hokkaido, Japan. The attempt took place during the filming of a Japanese TV drama called Unhandy handyman and actors as well as local citizens participated.
With the average daytime February temperature in the area a freezing -2°C, the snowmen were around for a while after the event.
“It took an adjudicator and four witnesses two hours to measure and count the snowmen. Thirty stewards were also present to ensure the participants did not use any tools and stopped making the snowmen at the adjudicator’s signal,” says Guinness World Records.
The Japan Times reported at the time that each snowman had to be at least 90cm tall. In addition, the snowmen had to be made of three separate snowballs, facial features and arms.
Watch the below video taken on March 4 – days after the record was set and after more snow had fallen. It includes amazing aerial views of the field of snowmen:
Follow us on our Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.
Related article: A Christmas concert spectacular at Montecasino
