Can someone explain "la noche de los rabanos" to me?

Question

i heard its some type of festival.

Answer 1

radish

Answer 2

Night of the Radishes

The setting is the main Zócalo – or central plaza – of Oaxaca City, Mexico. The date is December 23rd, and the time is sunset. The event is the Night of the Radishes, one of the most unusual folk art competitions in all of Mexico. Already the line of eager viewers is long, and the judges are ready. Dozens of booths display carvings representing animals, saints, dancers, cathedrals, the Virgin Mary, nearly anything that might arise from the fertile imaginations of the creators. The stakes are high. The winner takes home 12,000 pesos and gets his picture in the morning paper.

Although the origin of this traditional contest is lost in the mists of time, we do know that the Spanish brought radishes and other vegetables to Mexico in the 16th century. Legend speaks of two monks that encouraged the natives to cultivate crops for subsistence and for sale. One friar suggested that as a way to entice people to the local market, they carve radishes into fanciful shapes and display them along with the produce they hoped to sell. Three centuries later, in 1897, the mayor of Oaxaca formalized what had become a yearly tradition, and the exhibition has been held ever since.

The radishes are not the little red round ones so prevalent in the United States. They are thick, long and cylindrical, measuring up to 20 inches in length and weighing up to seven pounds each. They grow into contorted shapes with multiple appendages. This grotesque outcome proves inspirational to the carvers, who are often forced to react creatively to what they have at hand. This gives an improvisational feel to many of the works. If the sculptures were music, they would be jazz.

A variety of techniques are employed to create these folk art masterpieces, but whatever the approach, the crowd loves the exhibition. Popping flashbulbs punctuate the proceedings as cries of amazement ripple through the onlookers when a particularly inventive display is encountered. Soon a winner will be chosen, but even the most diligent spraying cannot keep the masterworks from browning and wilting in the warm Oxacan night. The people drift off, perusing the many craft booths, or perhaps sampling some of the many sweets and pastries made especially for the holiday season. The Night of the Radishes is over until next year.