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Kadayawan Festival

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manlalakbay
manlalakbay
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Kadayawan Festival

  • April 24, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by manlalakbay from davao, Philippines
Kadayawan Festival

The Kadayawan Festival is one of the biggest festivities all over Mindanao. The event is celebrated the entire third week of August, with most of the highlights happening during the weekend.

My friends and I have made it a point to celebrate the Kadayawan with the entire city. For many of us who have stayed in Davao for quite a while, this is the time when the city is most alive. It seems like the population doubles during these days.

The entire day of Saturday, contingents from different provinces of Mindanao would perform in the Streetdancing. They dance and perform stories of indigenous peoples' rituals and legends to the heavy beating of the drums. The entire city explodes with color from the costumes, accessories, and props of the participants. Each contingent probably has at least 50 people dancing, and several more to do the music. For those watching, you can't help but move along to the beat as well.

We were quite lucky this year to have friends staying at the Marco Polo hotel, thus we were able to see performances from the tenth floor. It's actually a beautiful spectacle as the performers move in one unified movement. The beating of the drum was so strong that we could feel it through the floor.

It is the tradition of our friends to walk the street and join the performers. So when the sun wasn't so hot, we went down to the streets. It's fun to actually walk around and watch the perfomers do their choreography. They are so serious that they don't mind the cameras flashing from all angles, and during lulls, performers would gladly pose with anyone wanting to. Some would even allow people to beat their drums of wear their headress.

These municipalities and cities prepare much for the honor of winning the Kadayawan festival. Aside from fame, they also get a cash prize. Last year, it actually reached P600,000 for the champion, while the first and second runners-up got P300,000 and P200,000 respectively.

During Sunday, there is the Floral Parade. Different establishments of Davao City prepare floats depicting the various symbols of Davao and decorate it with different kids of flowers. Some even are able to create waterfalls in their floats, using special machines, of course).

There are less participants during the floral parade so it finishes earlier than the street dancing.

During the entire week, there are mall-wide sales, free concerts, special shows, and famous bands to entertain the people.

For those wanting to see Davao City, this is the best time! Book your flights early because they sell like hotcakes during this time.

From journal Davao: Touring the Home Front

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