Witness the Famous Kadayawan sa Davao Festival

Posted on October 30th, 2007 in Fiesta and Events by Davao Hotel Guide

Every third week of the month of August, Davao comes alive, vibrant, and merrymaking because of their weeklong festival celebration called the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is a celebration of thanksgiving for the year’s bountiful harvest. This festival in Davao has now become internationally renowned.

“Kadayawan” is a Bagobo term in Davao which really means “a celebration for a bountiful harvest”. The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival has various festival activities such as trade fairs, fruit and flower shows, traditional sports activities, street parades, and horsefights. The highlights of the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is the street dancing and the beauty and brain search for Mutya ng Davao.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is given the title as the “Festival of Festivals”. Today, the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is one of the biggest annual festivals in the Philippines.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival also coincides the harvest time of the exotic fruits of Davao like Durian and the blooming of the beautiful orchids called waling-waling. The bountiful harvest of these products during this time is celebrated during the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival.

At the culmination of the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival, a grand floral parade tops off the entire occasion where countless floats are adorned with fresh, real flowers such as the waling-waling. This floral parade is accompanied by colorful and enjoyable street dancing which makes the festival lively from start to finish.

Various dance troops from Davao and other places in Mindanao Island participate in the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. The floral parade during the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is known as the Philippines’ biggest floral parade.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival was institutionalized in 1986 for the purpose of uniting the people of Davao after the chaotic Martial Law years in the Philippines. Apo Duwaling was the previous name of the festival. The word is a contraction of the famous symbols of Davao: Mt. Apo, durian, and the waling-waling.

Two years after the festival was institutionalized, the name was changed to Kadayawan sa Davao Festival. This name highlights the indigenous theme and the merrymaking spirit of the people of Davao during the celebration.

The Kadayawan sa Davao Festival celebration brings a lot of local and foreign visitors to Davao. Hotels are full, even the smaller inns and lodging houses as well. As a renowned annual festival not just in Davao but the whole world, the Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is truly an event that will unite the people of Davao.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Davao’s Search for Mutya ng Dabaw

Posted on October 29th, 2007 in Fiesta and Events by Davao Hotel Guide

Every year, Davao celebrates the Araw ng Dabaw. This is in celebration of the day that Davao became a city in 1937. In this celebration, the people of Davao are drawn into one of the important events in the Araw ng Dabaw, the Mutya ng Dabaw search.

So what is the significance of the Mutya ng Dabaw search during this celebration? The word “Mutya” is a Tagalog word that means “jewel, pearls, or a precious thing or person”. The yearly Mutya ng Dabaw search is finding that single woman in Davao who properly fits the meaning of the word Mutya.

The bearer of the title Mutya ng Dabaw each year is a woman in Davao that has the noble ideals and great aspirations for the contentment and progression of the City of Davao. This woman must truly represent the hearts and minds of the people of Davao. She is a symbol of Davao’s fervent hopes and dreams for that future of the city and its people.

The Mutya ng Dabaw is a woman of beauty, brains, and dreams. Seeing the Mutya ng Dabaw means seeing all what Davao City has. The sincerity and industry of the people of Davao are seen in her poise and grace. The light-heartedness and cheerfulness of the people of Davao are resembled by the radiant smile of the Mutya ng Dabaw.

Davao’s dreams and ambitions as a developing urban city are interconnected with the dreams and ambitions of the reigning Mutya ng Dabaw. The aspirations for brotherhood, goodwill, and peace for the people of Davao are what she must aspire. The most treasured possessions of the Mutya ng Dabaw are the priceless treasures that are kept within the very heart and soul of the people of Davao.

The first ever Mutya ng Dabaw is Rachel Arkoncel who was crowned in 1969. And every year since then until to the present day, a certain woman in Davao bears the title as the Mutya ng Dabaw, whom the people adore, respect, and love.

Being the Mutya ng Dabaw, that woman’s zest for life must be more evident than before. As a reigning Mutya ng Dabaw in a certain year, that woman will certainly have the most cherished and sweetest memories of her life that she can be proud of as years pass by.

The yearly celebration for the Araw ng Dabaw is not complete without the Mutya ng Dabaw search. This is a time for the women of Davao to stand out of the crowd and be noticed as someone precious in the city.

Tags: , , , , , ,