Guinness Records Set in Cyprus

Cyprus may be small, but it’s mighty. We’ve gathered the records set by Cypriots that have made it into the famous Guinness World Records.

• World's Largest Sheftalia
• World's Largest Flaouna
• World's Largest Vasilopita
• Longest Wedding Veil
• Longest Chain of Bras
• World's Oldest Barber
• Largest Ambrotype Photograph
• Longest Alternating Chain of People Holding Wrists
• Most Pull-Ups in One Minute
• Largest Collection of Football Memorabilia
• Most Glasses Balanced on the Head
• Heaviest Nectarine
• Largest Hasapiko Dance
• Most Musicians Playing on a Single Piano
• Highest Altitude Fitness Class
• Most Kettlebell Jumps in One Minute
• Longest Distance Covered in a Wingsuit
• Longest Time Spent in an Elevator
• Youngest Airline Board Chairman
• The highest-altitude concert

World's Largest Sheftalia

In October 2024, during the St. Lazarus Festival in Cyprus, a Guinness record was set. Festival participants prepared the world's largest traditional Cypriot dish—sheftalia. The minced meat sausage reached a length of 75 meters.

World's Largest Flaouna

The largest flaouna weighed 259.5 kg and was created by Carrefour in Limassol on April 11, 2012. The flaouna measured 2.45 meters in length and 1.24 meters in width. Flaouna is a traditional Cypriot cheese pastry mostly eaten at Easter.

World's Largest Vasilopita

Continuing the theme of edible records—a record was set by Morello Patisserie owned by Yorgos Thrasyvoulidis. A 1,900 kg traditional pie was tasted by around 7,000 people, mostly residents of Paphos.

Longest Wedding Veil

The longest wedding veil, measuring 6,962.6 meters, was made by Maria Paraskeva in Larnaca on August 14, 2018. Since childhood, Maria dreamed of breaking the record for the "Longest Wedding Veil."

Longest Chain of Bras

On April 30, 2006, a record-breaking chain of 114,782 bras, joined together in Paphos harbor, stretched 111 kilometers. This chain was dedicated to breast cancer awareness.

World's Oldest Barber

Recorded on March 31, 2006, Aristides Dimitriou retired at age 95. Born in 1910, he started cutting hair at 10 and opened his own business by age 15. After moving to America, he won a prestigious exhibition with a hairstyle resembling a mushroom cloud.

Largest Ambrotype Photograph

The largest ambrotype photograph, measuring 2.4 square meters, was made by Dimitris Mina in Larnaca on June 13, 2021.

Longest Alternating Chain of People Holding Wrists

The longest alternating chain of people holding wrists was achieved with 4,073 participants, organized by the Yiannis Christodoulou Foundation and supported by John Christodoulou and Konstantinos Argyros in Nicosia on June 25, 2024.

Most Pull-Ups in One Minute

The most pull-ups (neutral grip) in one minute by a man—48—was achieved by Konstantinos Zavallis in Nicosia on July 15, 2024. Konstantinos spent 16 months training for this record, often completing 300-500 reps per session.

Largest Collection of Football Memorabilia

The largest collection of football memorabilia consists of 40,669 items, collected by Philippos Stavrou Platini at the Michel Platini Museum in Mosfiloti, Cyprus, as of June 30, 2017.

Most Glasses Balanced on the Head

The most glasses balanced on the head in a single stack is 28, achieved by Aristotelis Valaoritis in Paphos on September 28, 2024. Additionally, he balanced 319 wine glasses on his head on May 26, 2023.

Heaviest Nectarine

The heaviest nectarine, weighing 500 grams, was grown by Eleni Evangelou Plutarchou in Ayioi Vavatsinias on June 30, 2018.

Largest Hasapiko Dance

The largest hasapiko dance involved 749 dancers, performed by the Larnaca Municipality on Europe Square in Larnaca on December 12, 2010.

Most Musicians Playing on a Single Piano

25 musicians played simultaneously on one piano, organized by Stavros V. Kyriakides and the Kyriakides Piano Gallery in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 5, 2023.

Highest Altitude Fitness Class

A fitness class was held at an altitude of 6,476 meters on Mount Mera in the Himalayas, Nepal, on May 6, 2024, involving participants from Cyprus, the UK, and Nepal.

Most Kettlebell Jumps in One Minute

The most kettlebell jumps in one minute—21—were achieved by Ilya Khazov (Cyprus) on Lo Show Dei Record in Milan, Italy, on February 20, 2024.

Longest Distance Covered in a Wingsuit

Anastasis Polykarpou flew 5.192 kilometers in a wingsuit on May 27, 2017, during the UK Wingsuit Performance Nationals 2017 in Wiltshire, UK.

Longest Time Spent in an Elevator

Kivli Papajon, age 76, from Limassol, was trapped in her apartment building’s elevator for six days, from December 28, 1987, to January 2, 1988.

Youngest Airline Board Chairman

Stelios Haji-Ioannou (UK/Cyprus, born February 14, 1967) became the youngest chairman of an international airline board at 28 years and 268 days, when EasyJet began operations on November 9, 1995.

The Highest-Altitude Concert

The highest-altitude concert on land — at 6,701 m — was achieved by Tatyana Stupak on Mount Aconcagua, Argentina, on January 16, 2023. Tatyana is a professional musician and owner of a music school in Cyprus. Before taking on this record-breaking challenge, she performed on the summits of Elbrus, Damavand, and Kilimanjaro. The 15-minute solo concert was performed in front of 30 ticketed spectators.

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