Every December 23, crowds gather in Oaxaca, Mexico’s main
square to celebrate the Night of the Radishes, or La Noche de
RĂ¡banos. It is a competition between artists who use the purple
produce to make sculptures and, hopefully, win the big prize of
the night.
The competition’s origins date back to when holiday market
vendors tried to make their vegetables more enticing by making
sculptures with them. It was such a hit that the governor,
Francisco Vasconcelos, decided to create an official contest in
1897. It has been a tradition in Oaxaca ever since.
Incidentally, Oaxaca
is pronounced Wah haw kah.