Nanduti (Ñandutí) - traditional Paraguayan embroidered lace . They come from the lace of the island of Tenerife , but differ from them in the use of colored threads and weaving technique. Nanduti in the language of Guarani , one of the official languages and at the same time the language of the indigenous people of Paraguay, means " web ."
The main difference between the Nandi and the Tenerife technique is that the Tenerife laces are braided in small pieces on special devices and then joined into a large canvas. Laces of nanduti are woven on fabric stretched over the frame (the contours of the future pattern are applied on it), which are removed after completion of work. Thus, large, colorful canvases are created immediately.
Legend of Origin
A large landowner, in order to choose a bridegroom for his beautiful daughter, whom many grooms were in love with, set up a contest: whoever brings the most amazing gift will marry his daughter.
One poor young man in love with a girl went to look for a gift in the forest and there he saw a beautiful cobweb on which dew shimmered with thousands of flowers under the sun. He tried to pick it up, but the cobweb collapsed with the lightest touch. The dejected young man, having arrived home, told his mother about this. Mother, wanting to help her son, went to the forest to look at the web and decided that she could create the same beauty herself. Finding no matching thread, she used her gray long hair instead. Having brought the first lace of a nanduti as a present, the young man was able to marry his beloved.