TREASURED KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Every month of August my family would always anticipate the annual Kadayawan Festival in Davao City. Its name derives from the friendly greeting “madayaw”, from the Dabawenyo word “dayaw”, meaning good, valuable, superior or beautiful. The said festival mirrors thanksgiving celebration for the good harvest, the wealth of culture, the gifts of nature and the serenity of living. For the past years of Kadayawan, the Christian Dabawenyos already understood that this celebration doesn’t only focuses about thanksgiving yet also a way to strengthen the relationship of each Dabawenyos in different denominations.
The last Kadayawan Festival became a blissful memory for me as I have enjoyed the busy street decorated with different-colored banderitas and sort of activities that were beautifully planned then. I would tend to look forward about the various events, presentations, souvenirs and even foodstuffs presented by each stalls and tribes of every Dabawenyos. The Fluvial Parade which colorful floats highlighted local produce, arts, and culture were absolutely eye-catching, as well as the Pamulak sa Kadayawan wherein different designed floats were scattered on the road as it sashayed through the crowd with colorful, fabulous, and intricately made of quaint materials. Even though the scorching heat of the sun touched my skin the enthusiasm to witness the whole presentation of Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan would never beat it. The faces of each group showed a great excitement filled with perseverance, tenacity and delightness upon presenting their respective dances. While visiting the Kadayawan Farmer’s Market and Kadayawan Village both were considered as great destinations to take pictures to, thus it had been made up with so much amazing traditional designs. Indeed, everything were really blast experience to tell. Kadayawan Festival is also a time for affordable food tripping with your friends, family or loved ones. Hence, the Davao’s iconic delectable fruits such as: durian, mangosteen, rambutan, and lanzones are in season. For just around fifty peso you could have a kilo of various enticingly palatable fruits at one time. Furthermore, there has always been few reminders before joining to the annual Kadayawan Festival. The use of hat, fan or even umbrella is highly suggested for it is a long adventure under the blazing sun’s heat. As well as bringing extra shirt, bottled water, and even snacks is a must especially if you are being thrifty and sort of. Also smoking in the area, bringing alcoholic beverages, making bomb jokes, littering in the premises, using backpacks or any big bags are absolutely prohibited. At the latter, the celebration of the last Kadayawan Festival gave a treasured mark into my heart as I look forward to the next joyful experience together with my family.
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