The days leading up to Christmas in Oaxaca, Mexico—where colonial-era churches and colorful markets are cradled between the Sierra Madre mountains—don’t look quite as you’d expect. While some locals wrap last-minute gifts, others are hard at work harvesting, cleaning, and carving enormous ruby-skinned radishes for an unusual yearly competition.
Two days before Christmas, the town hosts the Night of the Radishes, when local artisans present intricate designs sculpted from the vegetable—Nativities, party scenes, ancient Egyptian gods and mythological creatures, artworks such as The Last Supper—and display them in dozens of booths in Oaxaca’s central square, the Zócalo.
