San Pedro’s feast

The feast of San Pedro, which falls every 29th of June, carries historical significance that dates back to the year when Davao, then a settlement, had about 70–80 houses, mostly occupied by settlers from Leyte, Samar, and other Visayan islands whom Oyanguren recruited. Its population then was estimated at around 1,000–1,500 people, including Christian settlers, soldiers, Bagobo natives near the settlement, and a few Chinese traders.

Since Spanish times, June 29 has been celebrated as the feast of San Pedro, the patron saint of Davao City. The fiesta was centered around the San Pedro Cathedral, which was originally built in the mid-1800s by Spanish missionaries; it also featured religious processions, novenas, and cultural festivities, which later became precursors to larger civic festivals.

The original San Pedro Church, built in 1848, became the focal point of the June 29 festivities. Later, the San Pedro Cathedral became the spiritual heart of the city, with June 29 drawing the biggest Catholic gatherings in Davao. Up until the mid-1980s, June 29 was the city’s main fiesta day. The civic and cultural side of the fiesta inspired the city-sponsored Apo Duwaling Festival in 1986, which later became the Kadayawan Festival. In a way the San Pedro fiesta can be seen as the cultural ancestor of today’s Kadayawan.

Local officials, from the pre-war period up to the 1970s, often timed proclamations, inaugurations, or public programs to coincide with June 29 when crowds were gathered. In some years, significant political inaugurations and programs in Davao were held around the fiesta to maximize participation.

In 1938, during the Commonwealth, the same royalty afforded to San Pedro on his feast day was present. During the annual fiesta, the Teachers’ Band and that of St. Peter’s School rendered separate concerts for the public and the many visitors on the 28th. That night too, the Peña Iberica, a local club mostly patronized by Spanish expats, had its anniversary celebration with a dance at the club house.

The fiesta proper, held on the 29th, featuring masses said by the Jesuits and ending in the pontifical mass led by the bishop, assisted by two other priests. The religious ceremonies were followed by several parlor games held in front of St. Peter’s Church with a big crowd attending. The feast day was climaxed by a very long religious procession in the evening. The huge throng who paid homage to St. Peter proved that the city church is too small for all the faithful.

Through all the festivities and events that happen on that date, very few know that San Pedro, as the name of the cathedral and as a place-name, was adopted in memory of San Pedro, the patron saint of the parish where Don Jose Oyanguren, the conqueror of Davao, was baptized.

To the Catholics, San Pedro is the Apostle Simon Peter, one of the most important figures in Christianity and is regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as the first pope. Born Simon, son of Jonah (or John), a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee, Jesus gave him the name “Peter” (Greek: Petros, meaning rock), reflecting his role as the “rock” upon which the Church would be built.

A fisherman by trade, San Pedro lived in Capernaum with his wife; his brother was Andrew, who also became an apostle. He witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the Agony in Gethsemane. He traveled widely to spread Christianity, especially among Jews and Gentiles and traditionally credited with evangelizing in Antioch and then Rome.

According to tradition, he was martyred in Rome around 64–67 AD during Emperor Nero’s persecution. He was crucified upside down at his own request, feeling unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. His tomb is believed to lie beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. His feast day, shared with St. Paul, is June 29 — celebrated in Davao as the Feast of San Pedro, the city’s patron saint. A fisherman-turned-apostle, was chosen by Jesus as the Church’s foundation.