SOMBRERO IS NO BURDEN TO PROUD MEXICANS

Wearing or carrying a sombrero with a circumference of a couple of metres in planes and buses can be quite a task but Mexicans are unfazed, as they stand out in the World Cup crowd with the widebrimmed hat that has a pointed crown. Although Mexico has gone of the World Cup, falling at their customary round of 16, their vibrant fans continue to add colour to the event in Russia, wearing a variety of sombreros everywhere.

Monroy Jimenez Mario attracted a lot of attention with his massive sombrero at a railway station in Moscow on Monday. When asked whether it was cumbersome to carry it around, Mario’s reply was an emphatic ‘no’. “I have never faced any problem anywhere. You can also fold it vertically,” he added, showing how it should be done.

According to Mario, the sombrero is part of Mexican life. “It’s our identity and cultural symbol. Mexico is proud of it. The sombrero shows who we are and where we come from. Mexicans would never feel any pressure carrying it because it symbolises our country,” he said.

Sombrero, which is made of palm (palma in Spanish) leaves, gains Mexican respect all over the world. There was a report in the New York Times recently on how a Mexican travelled to the World Cup in Russia with nothing but a sombrero on his head.

“People from other countries are always curious about it. They look at the hat fondly and want to get photographed with us when we are wearing it,” said Mario, who lives 200 kilometres off Mexico City. “Sombrero unites our country because it is beyond religion, language, ethnicity and financial status. Any Mexican can put it on proudly.”