“The unity and solidarity of all cultural communities is displayed in our celebration, through activities, through dance and song, through dedication and devotion of each participant, through each Hiyas candidate, through each Dabawenyo that may offer you durian, a smile and greet you, ‘Madayaw!’”—Lisette Marquez, former head of the City Tourism Operations Office
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It is that time of year when Dabawenyos begin to prepare for the upcoming Kadayawan sa Dabaw. Next month, the largest city in the country will once again showcase Mindanao’s Mother of All Festivals.
It is supposed to be the 40th edition; however, the festival’s executive committee has decided to forgo the numerical designation.
As Gene Bangayan, a member of the executive committee, told Davao media during the official launching of the festivity: “We’re revisiting historical narratives to determine the actual start of Kadayawan. While the research is still underway, the executive committee decided to drop the ordinal reference and use ‘Kadayawan 2025’ until we establish definitive historical roots.”
“There’s strong evidence suggesting that the celebration didn’t begin in 1985. If previous narratives claimed so, we must ask why. We’ve thoroughly discussed this and resolved to pursue official legislation to anchor Kadayawan historically,” Oscar Casaysay, officer-in-charge of the Davao City Culture and Arts Office, was quoted as saying by our roving reporter, Maya Padillo.
Because of this, the theme for this year’s celebration is: “Kadayawan 2025: A Festival Rooted in Culture and Abundance.”
During the celebration, some 14,000 security and safety personnel will be deployed to ensure safety and security in all areas throughout the month-long celebration, according to Retired Major Jose Daniel Kimpo, acting operations and coordinator officer of the Public Safety and Security Office.
“Although our alert level is moderate but we are still on high alert because we cannot lower our alert level, ang ating safety and security cluster is always there; we always make sure that all activities shall have a safe environment,” Kimpo pointed out.
According to the City Tourism Operations Office, led by Officer-in-Charge Atty. Jonah Presto, the city is targeting a 50% rise in tourist arrivals for this year’s Kadayawan, increasing from 200,000 visitors last August.
With 9,000 hotel accommodations, over 40 restaurant discounts, food fairs, and international promotional initiatives, the city is gearing up for its largest Kadayawan festivity. Delegations from China, Japan, and the United States are also anticipated to participate.
“The tourism sector has been preparing for Kadayawan even at the very start of the year. Because we all know this is the biggest festival. The hotels have been releasing their different promos so that tourists would be attracted to attend the festival. The travel and tours sector also came up with new tourism products or new tours that we can offer to our guests,” Davao Tourism Association President Nicole Hao Bian-Ledesma told Edge Davao.
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.”
As the late councilor Leo Avilla III puts it: “I believe Kadayawan, as a festival of thanksgiving, allows us to be grateful for our blessings as a people in a bountiful land. It also gave us an opportunity to appreciate how nature can reward us if we take good care of it.”
The celebration is also Davao’s firm drive of preserving its heritage. Focus of the festivity is the 11 tribes of the city: Ata, Bagobo Klata, Bagobo Tagabawa, Kagan, Maguindanaon, Manuvu, Matigsalug, Maranao, Obu, Sama, and Tausug.
To showcase the rich culture and heritage of these 11 tribes, the Kadayawan Tribal Village has been set up in Magsaysay Park.
Among the highlights of Kadayawan sa Dabaw are the street dancing (called Indak-indak sa Kadalanan) and floral float parade (known as Pamulak sa Kadayawan).
Perhaps, not many know that the festivity actually started in the 1970s, when then Mayor Elias B. Lopez initiated tribal festivals featuring the lumad (native) and the Muslim tribes of Davao City where they showcase their dances and rituals of thanksgiving.
The city government tried to unite the people of Davao who were divided during the time of Martial Law. And so, Apo Duwaling – the precursor of Kadayawan – came into existence.
The festivity was named after the three icons of Davao City: Mount Apo, durian and waling-waling. Let’s take a closer look at each:
In 1988, then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte renamed “Apo Duwaling” to “Kadayawan sa Dabaw.”
