Kadayawan Festival

As an annual festival in Davao during the third week of August, Kadayawan is a celebration of life and thanksgiving for the gifts of nature and the wealth of multicolored culture which make up the identity of the city.

In the past, ethnic tribes residing at the foot of Mount Apo would converge during a bountiful harvest in a ritual of thanksgiving to the gods particularly to the “Manama” (The Supreme Being).

In an offering to their protectors, various fruits, flowers, vegetables, rice and corn grains were displayed on mats as villagers give thanks for the year’s abundance through singing and dancing.

Though times changed, this thanksgiving or “pahinungod” is still practiced by Modern Day Davaoeños. In the 1970’s, Mayor Elias B. Lopez initiated a Bagobo tribal festival featuring the Lumad and the Muslim tribes where they showcase their dances and rituals of thanksgiving.

In 1986, “Unlad Proyekto Davao” was initiated by the government to unite the Dabawenyos after the turbulent Martial Law Era. The festival was called “Apo Duwaling”, a name created for the famous icons of Davao: Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak; Durian, the king of fruits; and Waling-Waling, the queen of orchids.

In 1988, City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte renamed the festival as “Kadayawan sa Dabaw”.

To this day, the festival must continue to honor the city’s richness and diverse artistic, cultural and historical heritage in a grand celebration of thanksgiving for all of Davao City’s blessings and unite all Davawenyos.