Mexico Dispatch In the eastern city of Xalapa, what started as a joke among friends over two decades ago has become a vibrant annual tradition that highlights creativity and absurdity with melons. The line stretched the entire length of the steep cobblestone bridge in the historic part of town. Many had waited a year to participate in the event and were anxious to register before the spots filled up.

All of them held the same thing in their hands on Tuesday afternoon: a melon. Mexico is full of unique and vibrant traditions, both ancient and new. There is a century-old radish-carving competition, and a race of people with potbellies in Oaxaca State.

There is a mascot obstacle dash in Mexico City. The annual melon race in Xalapa is not only one of Mexico’s most colorful traditions but also one of its most random. What began as a mockumentary among friends two decades ago — filming melons racing down the city’s sloping cobblestone bridge while streets were closed on Mexican Independence Day — morphed into a yearly tradition, drawing hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators.

Image Melon contenders. The race is free and open to all entrants, so long as they use a fruit of the Cucumis melo species."I really love seeing people come together for something that isn’t just mindlessly spending money," said Sabrina Salem, 28, an actress from Xalapa who lives in Spain but planned a visit back to see her family during the melon race."Plus it’s seeing your city united by something that’s absurd," she added. "To me, that feels like the most Mexican thing ever."Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz State in eastern Mexico, is often known as a surrealist city. Its nearly half a million people are surrounded by volcanoes and cloud forests, which creates a daily fog that adds a magical element.

It is dotted with steep, winding cobblestone streets. House numbers sometimes lack logical order and skip around in odd ways. A local tradition has diners eating pizza with yogurt."I wouldn’t say that just Xalapa is surreal, but various places in Mexico," said Kevin Sameer, 25, wearing a Spiderman lucha libre mask and holding a melon decorated in the same style. "You could keep walking on the bridge here and say, ‘Hey, why is there a gorilla planted on top of that building?’"(There is indeed a large gorilla statue on top of a nearby building.)"But there are artistic and novel things that you’d hardly see anywhere else in the world, only here," he added.

Manuel López Rocha, 39, one of the original organizers of the race, said that he and his friends never ended up finishing the mockumentary because people started cheering and betting on the fastest melons. The following year, he said, his friends decided to hold the race again — and it caught on."Because, ultimately, it’s people going out into the street to play," he said. "That’s really powerful. And it has been especially powerful during times when the city was going through really difficult moments."Image A masked melon racer dashing alongside his similarly masked melon, as crowds cheered him, his fruit and other melons on.

A group of 10 residents, including Mr. López Rocha, a university professor, volunteer to organize the annual event. They find local businesses to sponsor it. The prizes are coupons to those places, such as free cinnamon rolls from a bakery, a haircut from a barbershop and a consultation with a psychotherapist.

A few years into annual race, Mr. López Rocha said they added another competition: the most handsome melon. Anyone can participate in either contest. They are free and held rain or shine.

Participants must use a melon of any size of the Cucumis melo species — honeydew or cantaloupe — for the r...