Kadayawan Festival, Davao City 2007
Last weekend here in DAVAO CITY we celebrated the 22nd KADAYAWAN festival a celebration that lasted over a week and culminated in a fantastic street presentation of tribes of Mindanao.
The festival was transmitted across the country and even went out LIVE in the USA, and has
become an important diary date for the people of Davao City, and even in the country as a whole.
As Bob mentioned last week the festival is a celebration of a bountiful harvest harvest,and thank goodness the rain stayed away for the celebration.
If you have a DSL connection try clicking the link below to see a 12 min’s montage of some of the best costumes and dances. Then next year come and watch it here in Davao City.
See the Video!
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing. I have not experienced Kadayawan myself. When I left Davao 20+ years ago, the only celebration we had was Araw ng Dabaw which is March 17th. I wonder when they started celebrating Kadayawan? I hope to witness it sometime. Do people (onlookers) dance on the street also like they do during Ati-atihan in Kalibo or Sinulog in Cebu?
Hi Tina - I believe this was the 26th Kadayawan, if I remember correctly.
John,
Beautiful pictures! The costumes are just a sight to behold. I was trying to find out more about this festival before I made my comment. Found the website and bookmarked it so I can explore more later.
It says:
“Madayaw! warm and friendly greeting derived from the Dabawenyo word “dayaw” that means good, valuable, superior or beautiful. Such is “Kadayawan,” a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.”
What a beautiful summation. This festival seems to me like a combination of USA Thanksgiving Day (for the thanksgiving part); and the annual Parade of Roses (for its pomp and pageantry).
Someone who has shot a good collection of pictures from that can turn them into souvenirs for selling — a good collection can probably be merchandised as a calendar. In the USA, calendars sell for $12.95 to $14.95. Good way to also showcase the local culture.
Hey, there’s a fundraising idea for local causes — monetize them thru http://www.cafepress.com/
Hi Bob,
I checked the website and it actually started in 1986, and was renamed “Kadayawan sa Dabaw” in 1988 by Mayor Duterte. Hmmmm, interesting! I should plan on being there for next year’s celebration, if my schedule permits, as it looks like a lot of fun! Here’s the link:
http://www.kadayawan.com/?page=about
[...] is video to accompany my Kadayawan post [...]