Night of the Radishes, Mexico
This next festival is a fleeting affair—lasting only a few hours. The Night of the Radishes takes place on December 23rd in the main city plaza of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The event celebrates local artisans. The main point of the Night of the Radishes is that professional craftsmen and artists carve elaborate, complex designs into radishes.
This may sound simple, but this is a painstaking process. First of all, the radishes are specially grown for the event. They are not the small root vegetables found in salad bars, but can be as long as two feet. Artists carve nativity scenes (since the festival takes place so close to Christmas), dedications to saints, and even whole party scenes out of the red vegetable. A talented person can produce a work of art with just a knife and a red and white radish. A winner of the festival is chosen and they receive their picture in the local newspaper.