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Mexico’s quirkiest Christmas tradition returns, drawing over 140 participants

MND Staff
By MND Staff
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Dancers sculpted out of radishes as part of Oaxaca's Night of the Radishes
“The Night of the Radishes is as significant to us as Christmas,” local tour guide Andrea Hagan told the news site Thrillist in 2023. (Cuartoscuro)

The 127th edition of the Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radishes) took place on Monday night in the Plaza de la Constitución of Oaxaca city, with more than 100 participating in the competition to create the best sculpture out of — you guessed it — radishes.   

Each year, participants get to work carving their radishes into extravagant figures to display in front of a panel of judges for their chance to win a cash prize. There are several categories, including “anything goes” (libre) and traditional Oaxacan themes, as well as children and youth competitions. All entrants must be from Oaxaca state. 

Participants have carved a wide array of figures in the past, from mariachis to Mexican luchadores. Here, a 2023 participant shows off religious figures made out of radishes.
Participants have carved a wide array of figures in the past, from mariachis to Mexican luchadores. Here, a 2023 participant shows off religious figures made out of radishes. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)

Participants have carved a wide array of figures in the past, from mariachis to Mexican luchadores. Many choose religious themes, such as The Last Supper and the Nativity, given the competition’s proximity to Christmas. Sculptures often weigh as much as three kilograms. 

“The Night of the Radishes is as significant to us as Christmas,” local tour guide Andrea Hagan told the news site Thrillist in 2023. 

In the traditional design category, first place went to Carlos David Vásquez López, with his work “The flavor of my land, a homage to traditional Oaxacan gastronomy”; second place went to Adolfo Martínez Aquino, with “Virgin of Juquila, Oaxaca and our faith” and third place went to Karla Edith López Vázquez, with her work “Oaxaca, land of the great, legacy of traditions.”

In the “anything goes” category, first place went to Oliver Mijangos Amador, for “Metamorphosis: Mystical nahuales“; second to Omar Díaz Ventura, with “Amphisbena and Pegasus” and third to Roberto Isaac Muñoz Velasco, for “The hummingbird and the Xoloitzcuintle: The messengers of Mictlán.”

Approximately 10,000 attended the event ahead of the judging.

Radish seeds are planted by Oaxaca’s municipal government in El Tequio National Park in nearby Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán at the end of September each year to be harvested on December 19 and distributed to participants free of charge. A reported 18 tonnes of the tuber were harvested in 2022. 

In addition to radishes, participants created corn husk figurines (totomoxtle) and bright dried flower (flor inmortal) displays. 

The creole radishes used for the event are inedible, therefore, after the competition, they are documented and processed to be utilized as fertilizer. 

Oaxaca’s then-municipal president, Francisco Vasconcelos, established the first official radish-carving contest in 1897. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)

The origin of Oaxaca’s Night of the Radishes

Radishes are native to China but were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish, who found that they grew like weeds. Legend states that friars in the mid-18th century pulled up some forgotten radishes in December and took them to the market as curiosities. 

In 1897, Oaxaca’s then-municipal president Francisco Vasconcelos established the first official radish-carving contest to celebrate the creativity of Oaxacan artisans and manage the excess crop, which has since become an annual tradition. 

Take a look at the winners of this year’s Night of the Radishes.

Judgment night 

A panel of judges picked by the Tourism Ministry, including former competition winners, such as “Lord of the Radishes” Juan Manuel García Esperanza, who won the grand prize 18 years in a row, assess aesthetics, creativity and technique to crown the winners. They also check that nothing synthetic, other than toothpicks, has been used to hold the sculptures together. 

A second edition of the Night of Radishes parade is expected to be formally announced, which in 2023 included themed floats, for more people across the city to see the impressive radish creations. 

With reports from Imparcial Oaxaca, Mexico Desconocido, Quadratín Oaxaca, Thrillist and El Universal

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