Night of the Radishes: A Oaxacan Christmas Tradition
Inside the 127th year of Noche de Rábanos.
Author’s Note: Happy holidays! To give myself a little bit of a break over the holiday season, this week I’ll be posting just once. Thank you, as always, for subscribing, and look for my next post on December 31st!
If there is one universal, unalterable truth about life in Mexico it’s that at any given moment someone, somewhere close to you, is throwing a party. That’s particularly true when it comes to the end of the year, which sees in rapid succession the celebration of the Virgin de Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary), Christmas, New Year’s, Three Kings (which officially marks the end of the Mexican Christmas season) and a huge number of additional parties and weddings from people looking to capitalize on already soaring levels of cheer. But seemingly no winter celebration is more curious or intensely visited than Noche de Rábanos—the Night of the Radishes.
What Is Noche De Rábanos (Night of the Radishes)?
Noche de Rábanos, which just a day or two ago was written about in the New York Times, began in the 1800s. 2024 marked the 127th time the celebration has been held.
Noche de Rábanos takes place on December 23rd and is a one-night-only festival that, as advertised, is centered around radishes, one of Mexico's (and Oaxaca’s) most common vegetables. The event is held in the zócalo (town square) of the city Oaxaca de Juárez and consists of many dozens of booths set up around the square’s perimeter. Each booth is run by a different person or family and most feature an elaborate display of radishes carved into shapes and figures. People are also allowed to use organic materials such as wood, dried grass, dried flowers, etc., but the star of the show is radishes.
Only two types of radishes are used during Noche de Rábanos—the small, globular, ubiquitous ones you can find in any market either here or in the United States, or large, tubular red ones that somewhat resemble Daikon radishes.
What Is Noche De Rábanos Like?
We had been told Noche de Rábanos is an extremely popular event, so much so that it might be impossible to find parking downtown. Certainly, we were warned, the line to enter would be many hours long. While we were able to find parking in our favorite lot, the cautions otherwise proved to be true.
Downtown Oaxaca was jammed with people and the size of the crowds rivaled those that form during this state’s other blockbuster celebrations, Día de Muertos and the Guelaguetza. But unlike those days, which see celebrations liberally spread across the entirety of the downtown Centro neighborhood, Noche de Rábanos is specifically concentrated in the zócalo.
The zócalo itself was a gorgeous sight, lined with hundreds of poinsettias and strung with elaborate Christmas decorations.
We knew the event is popular but were still shocked to see that the lines to enter the area housing the booths were many thousands of people deep. So many Oaxacans and tourists were lined up that you couldn’t even see where the lines ended, and the columns of patiently waiting people snaked around a large city block.
A Trick for Skipping the Line
Friends had advised us there is a completely innocent way to skip the line: simply stand on the outside periphery of the public square where the booths are set up and do your best to gaze over and around the people lined up in front of you.
While the zócalo is where they host this event, the booths of radishes only occupy the periphery. The interior of the square has an enormous and permanent bandstand that was decorated for Christmas, and the exterior of the square is lined with colonial-era buildings housing businesses and restaurants. The only part of the zócalo that you have to stand in line for is a corridor created by waist-high metal barriers that put patient radish enthusiasts directly in front of the various displays. Those who are enterprising and don’t mind looking over people’s shoulders can simply stand on the restaurant side of the metal barriers. This gives you an obscured view of the decorations but there’s also no need to wait in line.
That’s exactly what we did and even though it gives you a somewhat flawed experience we were very glad to have skipped a 3+ hour wait!
Photos From the Event
Here’s a sampling of photos from this year’s Noche de Rábanos.
Non-Radish Sights
In addition to the radish booths, the town is also set up with many Christmas decorations featuring icons from various regions of Oaxaca. The zócalo also had stands featuring non-radish decorations, such as those made from dried flowers.
We almost skipped this entire event this year. The arrival of our son Leo has left us sleep-deprived and feeling bereft of motivation, and skipping a trip into the city for something new felt exhausting. Time and again, though, Oaxaca has taught us that when an adventure is placed in front of you you should grab the opportunity. We’re glad we did!
What an interesting tradition! thanks for sharing!
Wow-really interesting, thanks for sharing