Remembering Kadayawan Festivals of Past

As a city girl, celebrations within the metro wasn’t much of a new for me.  When I was still a little girl, my dad would tag me along to catch live the float parade both during Araw ng Dabaw (every March 16) and the Kadayawan Festival (during the 3rd week of August).  With a lot of people in the streets during those times, I was always carried by my dad piggyback so that I could see the dances and floats parading along the city streets.

Dad and I stopped having our “dates” when I was in 5th Grade (I think).  He got contented with watching the festivities on the tube rather than experience it upfront.  I didn’t mind then.  Until now I’ve grown comfortable in appreciating our festivities for the fact that it’s a celebrated holiday within the city.  Meaning, NO WORK.  (That was before though when I was employed elsewhere.  But that’s a different story).  It also meant MORE SALES = EMPTY POCKETS.   LOL.

The month of August has been always special to me.  Aside from it being my birth month, there’s a lot of celebration all around.  When I was still studying, it was always the time for our School Fiesta and kick-off for Intramurals.  Plus the Kadayawan fanfare.

So what is the Kadayawan Festival?

In simple terms, a celebration in Davao to give thanks to the “gods” for the bountiful harvests, celebration of life, and the diverse culture of the city.

Wikipedia would define it as:

The Kadayawan Festival is an annual festival in the city of Davao in the Philippines. Its name derives from the friendly greeting “Madayaw”, from the Dabawenyo word “dayaw”, meaning good, valuable, superior or beautiful. The festival is a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.

Today, Kadayawan has transformed into a festival of festivals, with a number of spin-off festivals in the region. The festival honors Davao’s artistic, cultural and historical heritage, its past personified by the ancestral “lumads”, its people as they celebrate on the streets, and its floral industry as its representatives parade in full regalia in thanksgiving for the blessings granted on the city. A celebration that interfaces the three aspects: tribal; industrial and; arts and entertainment. The festivities are highlighted with floral floats, street-dancing competitions and exhibits that showcases the island’s tourism products and services.

– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadayawan_Festival

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn’t able to take any photos of this years festivities.  But thankfully, I have a wonderful bff who just LOVES taking pictures.  So, with her permission, I’m sharing some of the photos she took during the celebration.

Banderitas...

To the sky...

The Winner of the Pamulak...

You can check her blog here.

Hope you enjoyed!

P.S.

Thanks again BFF for sharing your wonderful pictures!