HISTORY OF THE KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL

Piles of various farming instruments, from knives to bolos to sticks used to till the soil, harvest fruits and gather flowers. Baskets of fruits, trays of colorful native orchids, rice and corn grains, fruits and vegetables were religiously displayed on mats. A familiar scene on the village squares of old Dabaw, all these in thanksgiving to the Almighty for the year's bountiful harvest.

This ritual of Pahinongod is still practiced by modern Davaoeños. Thus, the Kadayawan.

In the seventies, Mayor Elias B. Lopez, a Bagobo, initiated tribal festivals in the Poblacion. Representatives of the Bagobos (Tagabawa, Guiangan, Clata, and Ata), the Manobos, Mansakas and the Mandayas, the Muslims and others, gather to the lowland to perform dances and rituals of thanksgiving. The performances take the city folks and tourists to the richness and deeply ingrained cultural rituals of the natives.

Come early eighties, with the national peace and order unrest, this tribal festival was restrained only to be revived in 1986 as the "Apo Duwaling" festival. The institutionalized festival aims to promote Davao City as a peaceful and orderly city despite the unrest.

"Apo Duwaling", is a word coined from Mt. Apo, durian and waling-waling, all icons of Davao's natural wealth. The first Apo Duwaling organized the Agro-Industrial Trade Fair, showcasing Davao orchids, flowers, fruits and other local agricultural products.

In 1988, "Apo Duwaling” was renamed "Kadayawan", a Dabawnon expression for anything that is excellent and that brings great fortune. It is derived from the aboriginal word "dayao" which means good or "madayaw", things that are of great value or is profitable, superior or beneficial.

Today, Kadayawan best describes the festival that reflects the ethnicity and nativeness of the celebration. The Kadayawan also recognized the Dabawenyo's artistry in visual and literary arts.

In 1995, the Mindanao Federation of Cutflowers and Plant growers, Inc, (MINFED) spearheaded the 10th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival. MINFED envisioned the growth of the flower and fruit industry. It has evolved the countryside to generate an improved livelihood.

The 11th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival focused on promoting the city as a tourist destination. Also, as the front door and gateway to the Philippines - Indonesia - Malaysia and Brunei Darusallam - East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

Introduced in 1995 as a major Kadayawan event is the Floral Float parade. Now a tourist attraction, it parades intricately designed floats, decked with orchids, flowers and ornamentals, also loaded with Davao fruits - durian, bananas, pomelos, mangoes, papaya and other vegetables.

The Floral Float parade has developed into a signature of Kadayawan festival showcasing the city as a "City in Bloom", Davao's official tag line since 1996.
Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan or street dancing is one of the attractions of the festival. Performers in ethnic costumes graces the streets in an uproar of body movement and ethnic music, enticing spectators to join the dancing in the streets.

Such thanksgiving is symbolized by the rigorously prepared Floral Float Parade, Indak-indak sa kadalanan and more… These are not just show-offs but the preparation are done with delicacy, sacrifice with joy, All just to show how proud we are of the many blessings we receive and would like to share not only to Filipinos but foreigners as well.