The Night of Radishes

The Night of Radishes or Noche de Rabanos is celebrated every year on the 23rd of December in Oaxaca City, Mexico. The festival has been organized since 1897 at the „Zócalo“ (main square) of Oaxaca City.

The main attraction of this event is an exhibition of sculptures made of large red radish. Radishes used in the event can weigh up to 3 kilograms and have length of about 50 centimetres.

The radishes for the event are cultivated near El Tequio Park next to the city's airport. The harvest is around the 18th of December. Radishes for the event are heavily fertilized and are left in ground longer than they should be when they are used as food. That way they grow to huge size and turn to quite unusual shapes.

Sculptures are made my local craftsmen and other enthusiasts. All sort of motives can be used for the sculptures – nativity scenes, party scenes, famous buildings, folklore characters and saints.

The Night of Radishes (Noche de Rabanos)

Radish dominates as material for sculptures. But there are also sculptures made of dried flowers („flor inmortal“) and corn husks („totomoxle“).

Sculptures made at the festival enter the contest. The winner gets $13.000 pesos and her or his moment of glory in local media.