by Ron Mader

Mexico is known for its colorful, grandiose festivals, but one of the most unique is Radish Night. Come for the rábanos, stay for the totomoxtle!

La Noche de Rábanos (Radish Night) is celebrated on December 23rd on Oaxaca City’s Zócalo and has been a focal point of Christmas celebrations for more than a century. Combining folk art and agriculture, it is one of the most unique festivals in the world. This year prior to the celebration I have been invited to the harvest in El Tequio Park near the airport.

What amazes me as much as the event is how popular the photos I have taken have been. Last year more than 15,000 people viewed the gallery thanks to a link from Yahoo. Of all the photos I have taken, these are the most popular. I don’t know if there will be an online surge on the Web again but all bets are on that tourism will be ahead in December 2007 than where it was a year ago.