Davao City gears up for KADAYAWAN

Davaoeños, with the rest of Mindanao, are all set to celebrate “Kadayawan Sa Dabaw” on Aug. 16-22. The weeklong festival in Davao City is anchored on the theme “Usbaw Labaw!” (“Grow Beyond!”) as the festival goes beyond boundaries, limitations and its past successes.

“Kadayawan” comes from the word “madayaw”, a warm and friendly greeting derived from “dayaw”, meaning good, valuable, superior or beautiful. For such is Kadayawan, a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, wealth of culture, bounties of harvest and serenity of living.

What used to be a customary practice of thanksgiving for the indigenous people of Davao was institutionalized in 1986 to unite the Davaoeños after the turbulent Martial Law years. It was then called “Apo Duwaling,” a contraction of the famous icons of the city, namely: Mt. Apo, Durian and Waling-Waling. Two years later, it was renamed “Kadayawan sa Dabaw” to better reflect the merry spirit and indigenous theme of the celebration.

This year’s festival features exciting and colorful multisensory events such as the Bagobo Horsefight, a famous Bagobo tradition where native stallions compete for a chosen mare and the Davao River Festival, which re-enacts the beginnings of the pioneering communities and the ecological concerns of the Davaoeños along the historic Davao River.

Edmundo Acaylar, chairperson of the Kadayawan sa Davao Foundation said, “This year the city government aimed to not only celebrate the annual thanksgiving and good harvest but also highlight two of the city’s best assets – as the home of the Philippine Eagle and that we are all descendants from a noble tribe, the Bagobos.”

Davao City is home to what may be considered as the remaining few of the Philippine Eagles, while the Bagobos are the native tribes that play a very significant role in Davao’s history. The tribe’s rich culture is part and parcel of every Davaoeño.

Also in the line-up of must-see events are: “Hiyas sa Kadayawan,” the annual search for ideal Mindanaoans; the Mindanao Indigenous Dance festival, theatrical presentations of Mindanao epics in dances and music; “Agongan ug Kulintangan,” a showcase of indigenous music; “Indak-Indak sa Dalanan,” or street dancing; agro-industrial trade fair; city wide sales and exhibits; and the 9th Philippine Floriculture Congress.

Closing the event is a floral float parade along Davao City’s major thoroughfares, which will showcase the abundant vegetation of the Davao Region.