(MENAFN- NewsIn.Asia) Colombo, December 13 (newsin.asia): Sri Lanka has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for constructing the world's tallest artificial Christmas tree last year, Guinness has said in a statement.
'The largest artificial Christmas tree measures 72.1 m (236 ft 6.58 in) tall, and was achieved by Arjuna Ranatunga Social Services (Sri Lanka), in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 24 December 2016, the statement said.
The certificate by Guinness World Records recognizing the achievement has been handed over to the government
The record which was previously held by GZ ThinkBig Culture Communication Co.,Ltd. (China), in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The Chinese Christmas tree was 55 meters (150 ft) high.
The Sri Lankan Christmas tree was built as part of a three day carnival in the Galle Face Green in Colombo during the Christmas season.
The artificial Christmas Tree was put up at the Galle Face Green in Colombo.
It was initially planned to go up 325 feet, but due to work delays and a deadline of Christmas eve, workers were able to go up to 220 feet.
However the downsized Christmas Tree was still the world's tallest, organizers said. The 73-meter (238-foot) artificial tree was 18 meters (59 feet) taller than the then record holder, China, organizers said.
It cost an estimated 80,600 US dollars and was constructed on private funds. It attracted thousands of tourists and locals to the Galle Face Green.
The tree's steel-and-wire frame was covered with a plastic net decorated with more than 1 million natural pine cones painted red, gold, green and silver, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a 6-meter (20-foot) tall shining star.
The tree was criticized by the Catholic Church as a waste of money. The church suggested that the funds better be spent on helping the poor. But finally, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe interceded and got Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith to agree to its putting up.
The Cardinal was told that the tree was not built with government money but by private donors and was meant to promote communal harmony.
'This is just to show the world that we can live as one country, one nation,' said Arjuna Ranatunga, a former cricket player and the then Minister of Ports and Shipping.
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