Salad daze: Oaxaca gets funky during the Night of the Radishes. (Living in Mexico).

In a city known for its painters, pottery, rugs and fantastical wooden figures called alebrijes, one expects the sublime if not the surreal. Come Christmas, Oaxaca City's time-honored artistic street displays take root in none other than radishes.

The fleshy, red tuber is celebrated as the theme of two days of festivities called the "Night of the Radishes" (Noche de Rabanos) on December 23 and 24. Wrapping up the city's month-long Yuletide celebrations, it's one of the most novel events in the country and just one of the reasons to visit when the holidays roll around. Internationally recognized as one of Mexico's most appealing colonial capital cities, Oaxaca City--given its rich history and unique character--has been declared a Cultural Treasure of Humanity by the United Nations. The festival takes place against a backdrop of splendid 6th century monuments and churches that have retained their grandeur through intensive preservation programs.

RETHINKING THE ROOT

Most think of radishes as mere garnishes for a hearty summer salad or a plate of cold cuts. The Night of the Radishes establishes a newfound respect for a vegetable that inspired a popular annual fiesta.

The creators, of course, are the Oaxacans. Their arts and crafts are among the finest in Mexico and the local farmers who take part in the event do justice to its reputation with miniature, imaginative tableaus constructed from radishes.

Preparations for the festival often begin several days before December 23 when farmers and their families arrive at their booths loaded down with sacks of fresh radishes. They spend the days carving and scraping the tubers into lively dramas--folk dances with a full troupe of dancers, Biblical scenes, historical events, space travel or whimsical scenarios from everyday life. But then Oaxaca gave us the fabulous pyramids at Monte Alban that held kings' jewels in hidden tombs. So why not radishes fashioned into jewel-like figures by the descendants of the pyramid builders?

The booths are set up around the Zocalo and the area is cordoned off and not accessible to the public until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It's become such a popular event that the lines begin forming much earlier and stretch for several blocks. Once the exhibit opens, people move along chatting with the artisans, most of whom keep busy by sprinkling water on their displays to keep them from wilting. The sun in Oaxaca, even in winter, can be scorching.

Converted into a competition where cash prizes are awarded for the best of show, each year the exhibits have become more elaborate and diversified. The local radish often reaches gigantic proportions of up to a foot-and-a-half in length, making for interesting twists and turns. Of late, tableaus fashioned solely from dried marigolds and cornhusks have also been entered in the competition. The day winds down with a blaze of fireworks in the night sky as the farmers pack up their wares for another year. The next day, the festival continues with a children's workshop, performances by the local choir and folk dances.

Some say the origin of the Night of the Radishes can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times when December 23 drew the faithful to the main square for a celebration of the winter solstice. The gods of health were honored at this time with offerings and prayers to mend the bodies of hunchbacks and other disfigured individuals. Other historians point to rituals carried out to honor the birth of a new sun, a powerful ceremony for the Aztecs who over-ran Oaxaca. It's even said that when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they witnessed the ceremonies staged around huge bonfires.

In any case, during colonial times, Zapotec Indians from neighboring villages traditionally gathered in the city's main square to sell their goods. To make the merchandise more attractive, they fashioned lifelike human figures and animals from root vegetables such as radishes. Local priests, seizing on an opportunity to spread their faith, encouraged the farmers to create religious scenes related to Christmas. In 1889, the mayor of Oaxaca City officially established the festival on December 23, calling it the Night of the Radishes. A few years ago, because of its popularity, an extra day was added. Thus, a simple ploy to sell radishes evolved into a celebrated yearly event.

Over the years, the religious themes gave way to more secular subject matter that, at times, bordered on the bawdy and ribald. They were eventually banned. The enthusiasm for the event, which had been a great tourist draw, began to wane in the 1950s, prompting city officials to intervene again. This time they turned it into a competition with prizes and added a festive touch with fireworks.

SEASONAL FLAVOR

Tradition is the hallmark of the Christmas celebrations in Oaxaca City and nothing could be more in tune with custom than the nightly posadas, which take place December 16 to 24. Candlelit processions of families and friends who represent pilgrims wind through the streets at night singing verses about Mary and Joseph looking for shelter on the night of Jesus' birth. Many times, a burro carrying a symbolic Mary is added for effect. The group ends at the home of a friend, who invites everyone in for Christmas ponche.

After a spirited fiesta with a pinata for the children, the adults wander over to the main plaza for steaming hot chocolate and bunuelos--large, thin, deep-fried flour tortillas generously dipped in honey. The correct way to dine on this classic Christmas dessert is to break the plate after eating. Nowadays, however, many of the vendors use plastic plates, which has somewhat diluted the tradition.

The area around the main plaza is gaily decorated for the holidays and local bands give free concerts just about every day under the shady arches of the colonial bandstand. A Christmas creche of life-size, papier-mache figures is always set up on the lawn in front of the cathedral. Prior to December 16, Oaxacans gather together on December 12 to celebrate perhaps the biggest religious celebration in Mexico, the Dia de Guadalupe (Day of Guadalupe) or anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego (who was canonized by Pope John Paul II during his summer visit to Mexico). The patron saint of Oaxaca, the Virgen de la Soledad (Virgin of Solitude), is also feted with music, processions and fireworks on December 18.

LOCAL COLOR

But Oaxaca City excels not only through its celebrations. Famous for its cuisine, it's not surprising that recently city residents vehemently opposed a McDonald's going up along the main square. Fast food is an abomination against humanity, the protestors said. A meal at any Oaxaca City restaurant, even in the most humble of fondas, has one wondering why McDonald's thinks it can compete with the local cuisine.

Mole is understandably one of the outstanding creations and is usually served over a leg of turkey or chicken. Although this heavenly Mexican sauce was invented centuries ago in Puebla, Qaxacans were quick to adopt and adapt it to six more varieties colored yellow, green and red. Each mole is prepared with different Mexican chiles, which gives it its distinctive taste. The most popular, the negro, is thick and dark and made from a variety of ground chiles, almonds, raisins, peanuts, toasted tortilla, clove, aniseed and chocolate--the crowning touch. Now, recognized as a national dish, mole is usually served on special occasions like weddings and holidays.

Cheeses like the famous queso Oaxaqueno were also created in the southern state, although locally this particular cheese is known as quesillo. It's the mainstay of quesadillas found all over Mexico. Oaxacan chocolate is also a staple of the national diet. A popular light breakfast is thickly sliced pan de yema (egg yolk bread) and hot, frothy chocolate made with chunks of local chocolate. The drink is light-bodied because it's made with water instead of milk. Chocolate atole made with brown sugar and called champurrado is another typical beverage.

Oaxacan cuisine also approaches the bizarre in native dishes like grasshoppers and maguey worms. The grasshoppers are harvested from the fields annually around September when they are most plentiful. Cleaned, cooked and grilled, they usually appear in city markets soon after. Used most commonly as an appetizer, they're served with tortillas, salt, lemon and avocado sauce, accompanied by mezcal, a potent, distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey cactus.

Collected from the leaves of the cactus during Oaxaca's rainy season, the maguey worms are likewise ground up into a powder after being crisped, chile is added and they're ready to eat. It's customary to put a pinch on a wedge of lime, suck it and take a swig of mezcal. Mezcal production, by the way, is a thriving industry in Oaxaca and several different presentations are on the market. You can sip it flavored with pomegranate, grape, peach, blackberry, guava or an herb called poleo. Real connoisseurs forgo the flavorings and drink the aged or anejo variety.

Beyond food and drink, Oaxaca bubbles over with museums, handicrafts and archaeological ruins. The famous black pottery and hand-woven rugs can be purchased in town or in the surrounding villages made famous by them.

The ruins are a short distance from the main square and make a good day trip. Monte Alban, nine kilometers southwest, rises 1,300 feet above Oaxaca City and was the site of one of the richest civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica. The first settlements were established around 600 B.C., but by 1000 A.D. the ancient city had been abandoned. A large pyramid dominates the site, which is dotted with smaller structures.

Experts estimate that about 90% still remains to be excavated. The Mixtecs took over in the latter years before it was abandoned and turned it into a necropolis, or burial ground, with elaborate tombs for royalty. Some of the contents of what became known in archaeological circles as Tomb Seven, uncovered in 1932 and filled with priceless gold, silver and jade jewelry, can now be found at the Museo de las Culturas in Oaxaca City.

Another notable archaeological site, Mitla, lies 40 kilometers southeast of Oaxaca City. Like Monte Alban it has both Zapotec and Mixtec influences and was founded in the first century A.D. The Cult of the Dead also practiced here. Stunning geometric patterns grace the walls of the temples. In fact, all the artwork is abstract, making it unique among Mexico's archaeological digs.

Patricia Alisau is a travel writer and editor who used to live in Mexico City. She now makes her home in Atlanta, Georgia.