Mexico City erects world`s largest Christmas tree

Mexico City: Mexico City has been certified by Guinness World Records as having the world`s largest Christmas tree. The tree stands 110.35 meters high, has a diameter of 35 meters and weighs 330 tonnes. The new record exceeds by 24 centimeters the Christmas tree in Aracaju, Brazil, the city that had held the record since 2007 with a tree 110.11 meters high. Carlos Martinez, the representative of Guinness World Records, Saturday certified the new record at Glorieta de la Palma, located on the Paseo de la Reforma, where the huge tree stands and will continue to be displayed for 36 days. "The possibility existed that this would not break the record, since the height (of the Brazilian tree) was exceeded by only 24 centimeters, but finally we corroborated it and remain satisfied that there is no problem that now Mexico has this new Guinness record", Martinez told reporters. The lighting of the gigantic tree was carried out at 8.30 pm Saturday, marking the beginning of the Christmas festivities in the Mexican capital, where some 19 million people live. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard headed the tree-lighting ceremony, during which the Shola Cantorum orchestra and the Mariachi Gama Mil band played Christmas music. Work has been going on since Oct 29 on the huge Christmas decoration project, labour that has required about 200 Mexican and Brazilian workers, project manager Julio Galman told EFE. The year-end festivities are sponsored 80 percent by private donations and 20 percent by the government of the federal district. IANS