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The Night of the Radishes (Noche de Rábanos in Spanish) is an annual event in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes (raphanus sativus) to create scenes that compete for prizes in various categories. The event has its origins in the colonial period when radishes were introduced by the Spanish. Oaxaca has a long wood carving traditions and farmers began carving radishes into figures as a way to attract customers’ attention during the Christmas market which was held in the main square on December 23. In 1897, the city created the formal competition. As the city has grown, the city has had to dedicate land to the growing of the radishes used for the event, supervising their growth and distribution to competitors. The event has become very popular, attracting over 100 contestants and thousands of visitors. However, since the radishes wilt soon after cutting the works can only be displayed for a number of hours, which has led to very long lines for those wishing to see the works. The event also has display and competitions for works made with corn husks and dried flowers, which are created with the same themes as those with radishes. ==Origins== Native to China, radishes were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish, particularly by the friars. Eventually it became used as a side dish, a snack or carved into decorations for special dishes.〔 〕〔 〕 In the colonial period, the radishes began to be carved with religious themes in relation to the annual Christmas market held in the city of Oaxaca on December 23, with the encouragement of priests. The carvings were a marketing gimmick, with farmers using them to attract the attention of shoppers in the market in the city plaza.〔〔 〕 Eventually people began buying the radishes not only to eat, but to create centerpieces for Christmas dinners.〔 〕 The legend as to how this began states that one year in the mid 18th century, the radish crop was so abundant that a section lay unharvested for months. In December, two friars pulled up some of these forgotten radishes. The size and shapes were amusing and they brought them as curiosities ot the Christmas market held on December 23. The misshapen vegetables attracted attention and soon they began to be carved to give them a wider variety of shapes and figures.〔 In 1897, the then mayor of the city, Francisco Vasconcelos, decided to create a formal radish carving competition, which has held each year since.〔〔 Over the years various types of radishes have been used both in Oaxacan cuisine and for carving. A large completely white type called criollo was used earlier as it did not rot as readily and adopted more capricious forms. However this variety has since disappeared, but an image of them can be seen in a work by Diego Rivera called Las tentaciones de San Antonio.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Night of the Radishes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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