Radish sculpture
Oaxaca has many singular events. There is the Guelaguetza indigenous dance celebration, where every dance ends with items being thrown into the crowd. There is Oaxaca's unique take on the traditional Day of the Dead holiday, including devil dances and sand carpets in the streets. The Night of the Radishes--or Noche de los Rabanos--stands out as an only-in-Oaxaca event. These are not the charming little radish roses you find in your salad, but enormous roots magically transformed into three-dimensional sculptures.
Instructions
1. Schedule your trip for late December. The Night of the Radishes is almost always on December 23rd, but coming earlier allows you to see the city's preparations for this event as well as other celebrations. The streets around the zocalo, in the center of town, are filled with decorations and lights. The stalls sell holiday foods and decorations.
2. Preview the works-in-progress. Although the official event begins in the late afternoon, coming early means seeing artists in action. They take giant radishes that have been growing far past harvest season and chip away at the rosy exterior to expose the white insides. This technique results in intricate patterns, such as lacework on a folkloric dress. Children have their own competition and will be working alongside their parents or participating in radish-carving workshops.
3. Step up to the walkway. To control the crowds, the city places ribbons in front of the stalls and a raised walkway that circumnavigates the four corners of the center of the zocalo. A line starts forming by 5:00 p.m., so try to be one of the early arrivals. If you can see the sculptures before the masses descend upon them, you have better opportunities for photographing the creations.
4. Check out the ancillary exhibits. The competition is mainly about radishes, said to hearken back to the nineteenth century when fish-sellers carved ornate radishes to attract shoppers to their booths. These days, there are also competitions in arranging dried flowers and corn husks.
5. Stick around. The zocalo is so festive around the holidays, most people grab a seat at one of the many cafes and partake of the traditional Oaxacan hot chocolate with pan de yema, a sweet bread. December 24th brings another round of festivities, with calendas, which are street processionals featuring colored torches, live music, children tossing candy out of gourds and women wearing elaborate arrangements of flowers on their heads. On December 25th, Oaxaca celebrates with fireworks, live music and dancing.
Tags: around zocalo, live music, Night Radishes