La noche de rabanos (The night of the radishes) is a oaxacan tradition that this year marked 120 years! This was truly a treat for us as we had never seen anything like it.  We were lucky to have been in Oaxaca during the Christmas celebrations and as many of you who travel to Mexico during Christmas know that the celebrations in Mexico are big! 

This tradition is held every year on December 23rd. in the main square at the Zocalo. It started as a way for vendors to get customers attention to buy their artesanias and it became a formal competition and there are over 100 contestants that participate in this event.  The formal Noche de Rabanos competition, focuses on the carving of radishes; every contestant will add their own uniqueness and style some with a modern touch. However, most entries are scenes that use multiple radishes, with the most traditional being nativity scenes.  

A word to the wise, if you plan to catch this exhibit I suggest you go early as the wait time can be anywhere between 2-4 hours to get in.  We went early around 5:30pm and waited about an hour. It’s a very cool and unique event to check out.