Linda Arab is in her sixties already but she managed to wake up very early last Saturday. After all, she was waiting for the day to come; she wanted to witness the street dancing – called Indak-Indak sa D’an – which she watched since the early 1990s.
“I have never missed it,” says the mother of 8 children and 32 grandchildren. She’s a Maranao and she brought with her one of her daughters and eight grandchildren. “Some more are coming since they’re on their way.”
Actually, the street dancing would start at 8:30 am yet but she was already in her post as early as 7 o’clock. “There are so many people around and I want to have the best spot while watching the different contingents performs.”
On the other hand, David Schmid and Dian Altin are Austrians who happened to be on a vacation last week. “We never heard of it until we were in our hotel,” said Dian. “The receptionist said that the hotel is fully booked because of the festivity going on in the city.”
“It’s very beautiful and colorful,” said David, a first-timer in Davao City, of the street dancing. “I like the rhythm, the music, the vibrant and the people. We are having too much fun here.”
This happened last year and these people have one thing in common: witnessing the Kadayawan sa Dabaw.
In this year’s 33th year, more tourists – foreigners, locals from various parts of the country, and those from neighboring areas – are expected to witness a more grandeur festivity.
The City Tourism Office is expecting about 200,000 foreign and local tourists flocking the city during the festivity, particularly from August 11-18. Last year, about 185,660 came.
So much so that a budget of 44 million has been allotted for the celebration. However, only P12 million of the huge budget will come from the city government’s coffers; the rest will be provided by private sector partners. All told, this will be the biggest festival ever to be staged in the biggest city of the country.
Other added attractions include Kadayawan Ball (a tribal-inspired fashion ball where the city’s 11 tribes will compete against each other) and Kosplay Kadayawan (a contest for younger generation of Davao to exhibit their creativity and imagination in coming up with outfits inspired by the country’s bird icon, the Philippine eagle).
The usual features like Hiyas sa Kadayawan (which will be held on August 11), Tunog Kadayawan, Mugna Kadayawan, and Dula Kadayawan are included in the line-up of activities.
But the most anticipated events are Indak-indak sa Kadalanan (street dancing) and Pamulak sa Kadawayn (floral float parade). The street dancing is usually held on a Saturday. Contingents from various parts of Mindanao display their award-winning choreography — with dancing following the rhythm of their music and sounds, moving together with precise manner, and flashing their colorful costumes and attires.
Pamulak sa Kadayawan ends the festivity. It is patterned after the Pasadena Parade of Roses in the United States – where flowers and fruits are set in colorful floats by business establishments, community assemblies and peoples’ organizations as they promenade on the streets symbolizing all the bounty sustainably enjoyed by the city’s residents.
It has been 33 years since Kadayawan sa Dabaw was launched in 1985. “With this year’s Kadayawan, let us show the world what Davao City and Dabawenyos have to offer,” Mayor Inday Sara Duterte was quoted as saying by media during the launching of the festivity. “Come witness the colors of Kadayawan and experience the best of Davao City.”
Kadayawan is derived from the Mandaya word “madayaw,” which means “good, valuable, superior, or beautiful.” The festival is structured as “the celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.”
Kadayawan showcases the diverse color, culture, and unification of the tribes that inhabit the city. At one time, the festival’s theme was “Ten Tribes, One Vibes.” Later on, it was found that there were actually 11 tribes, namely: Iranun, Sama, Bagobo-Klata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Maguindanaon, Kagan, Matigsalog, Maranao, Ata, Tausug and Ovu Manubo.
In the beginning, ethnic tribes lived together harmoniously, in peace and friendship. They were the ones who gave the province a name; Davao came from the word “daba-daba,” which means fire.
According to history, Davao’s ethnic tribes residing at the foot of Mount Apo would converge during a bountiful harvest. This ritual serves as their thanksgiving to the gods particularly to the “Manama” (the Supreme Being).
In the 1970’s, then Mayor Elias B. Lopez initiated tribal festivals which featured the lumad (native) and the Muslim tribes of Davao City where they showcase their dances and rituals of thanksgiving.
In the mid-1980s, the city government launched a program called “Unlad Proyekto Davao,” whose main objective was to unite the Dabawenyos after the turbulent Martial Law era. The festivity was called “Apo Duwaling.”
“Apo Duwaling” comes from the three “royalties” for which Davao is famous for: Mount Apo, durian, and waling-waling. Mount Apo is the country’s highest peak. Durian, the controversial exotic fruit, was once described by a foreign journalist as something that “smells like hell but tastes like heaven.”
Waling-waling is one of the world’s most beautiful orchids and is now the country’s second flower icon – after sampaguita.
In 1988, then Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte – who is now the President of the Philippines – renamed the festival as “Kadayawan sa Dabaw.”
Today, the festival is known not only in Mindanao but in other parts of the country as well. “As the longest-running community festival in Mindanao, Kadayawan has metamorphosed into a grand celebration that honors Davao’s rich cultural heritage and the many blessings bestowed on the city,” commented the CTO.
“I consider Kadayawan as the festival of festivals since it has the most number of cultural activities compared to other festivals in the country,” comments Serapion Metilla, who is from Manila and has seen to the festival several times. “For example, there’s dancing in the streets, the floral float parade, horse fight, durian festival, cultural minorities encounter, flower and garden shows, and many other activities which other parts of the country could not show.
At one time, Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag summed up the contribution of Kadayawan in three areas: tourism (“it establishes Davao City as a primary tourist destination in our country”), economy (“it increases the income of our city and the tourism sector”) and culture (“it showcases our rich cultural heritage and unity in diversity”).
“But most of all,” Dr. Al-ag said, “(Kadayawan) gives Davao City the reputation of an abundant, peaceful and progressive city.”
So, don’t forget to join the festivity!
