It started as a joke.

A few years ago, a group of men from the Mġarr Band Club were sitting in a fast-food restaurant gorging themselves on chicken nuggets.

They downed so many that day that it gave them an idea: why not turn those nuggets into ‘gold’ by setting a national record for the most eaten in the least amount of time?

So, in March 2019, the seven heartiest eaters from St Mary’s Assumption Philharmonic Society in Mġarr sat down together on another table and stuffed down 211 chicken nuggets in 20 minutes.

“We did it as a joke,” Joseph Caruana, the society’s general secretary, recalled.

It was no joke trying to eat so many nuggets though. Spectators went along to cheer the seven eaters on and a marching band provided further motivation to the aspiring record setters as they got rid of one nugget after another.

Meanwhile, a judge from The Malta Records was doing the serious business of meticulously evaluating the record attempt and confirming that, yes, a new Malta record had been set.

“On average, we have between 30 and 40 record attempts yearly,” said Jeffrey Saliba, who is often asked to judge them.

People and organisations apply to set a national record as a personal challenge or to show their opponents who is best, he said.

And sometimes businesses try to break a Malta record as a form of advertising, while charitable organisations use the appeal of a national record to raise funds. 

For example, Dar Bjorn, a residential community home that caters for people with neurological conditions, recently hosted nine-year-old runner Kruiven Farrugia.

He ran six kilometres in 23 minutes and 20 seconds, making him the youngest boy to run the distance – all in aid of Dar Bjorn.

Earlier this month, Ħamrun’s St Joseph Band Club celebrated a Malta record for having the biggest structure made of balloons. Photo: The Malta Records

The Malta Records were born in 2012 and, since then, nearly 500 national records have been broken or set for the first time.

The idea to start a national records organisation came after one of its founders, Alfred Chetcuti, managed to break three Guinness World Records, Saliba said.

Chetcuti broke the world record for the largest glass of wine, largest baguette and largest loaf of bread. 

On average, we have between 30 and 40 record attempts yearly

“He had worked very hard to break the records, so he came up with the idea of holding a sort of Guinness World Records on a national scale because it is so difficult to break a world record.”

A local records organisation allows more people to participate, Saliba added.

“Our aim is to reward individual feats as well as keep Maltese traditions alive.”

In fact, fireworks factories and band clubs are among the organisations that often have a go at putting their name to a national record.

During the last Ħamrun feast, the St Joseph Band Club built the biggest local structure ever made with balloons, measuring almost 12 metres in height and over seven metres in width. It was made to resemble Ħamrun’s parish church.

The record stems from a contract that regulates the fierce relationship between the town’s two band clubs, St Joseph Band Club youths committee chairman Ivan Zarb Ferrante said. 

Last amended in 2003, the agreement only allows balloons and flags to be used during band marches. 

“Before that, floats were commonplace during marches. We tried to recreate that using balloons.”

In 2018, the St Catherine Fireworks Factory in Żurrieq attempted to launch the country’s biggest fireworks ballun (spherical shell) and beat their own record set in 2016.

A Tarxien couple decorated their home with Malta’s longest Christmas wreath. Photo: The Malta Records

Thousands gathered to watch the spectacle but the fireworks failed to launch. 

“We can’t take away merit from applicants who fail as they always do their best,” Saliba said. 

“Applicants are often under a lot of pressure as they have their reputation or the reputation of their organisation on the line.”

Christmas is also a busy time for The Malta Records – Malta’s longest Christmas wreath was declared last November. 

A Tarxien couple, Nadia Pisani and Romano Tabone, decorated their home with a wreath measuring 60.5 metres. 

“I love decorating my house during Christmas time,” Pisani said. “I’m the one who really loves it, but Romano helps a lot.”

When she and her partner started making the wreath, they were not planning to break any record. 

“But we learnt about The Malta Records on Facebook and thought to give it a try,” the 37-year-old shopkeeper said. 

“It’s very satisfying knowing that you managed to achieve something like that.”