Different Races Packed Kadayawan Festival By Troy Stephen Vergara Kadayawan is just one of the thousands of festivals celebrated in various countries year after year. The celebration is intended to honor the blessings from above and the commemoration of unity in diversity of cultures in Davao City. With its colorful representation of tribes and bountiful depiction of fruits, surely this festival merits the visitation of tourists. Everywhere you go you see white, black, yellow and brown skinned people having different races around the globe. Dabawenyos are but the happiest people in the Philippines knowing everything what is planned all paid off. In the late 1970’s the Davao’s first festival named “Apo Duwaling”, derived from Mt. Apo, Durian and Waling-Waling which are seen only in the land of promise, was initiated by the former Mayor Elias B. Lopez, a native in born. Before, the Apo Duwaling festival was not yet fully introduced in the world and so Davao city earned low rate in terms of tourism. In 1988, when Rodrigo Duterte won as the new mayor of the city, he changed Apo Duwaling to “Kadayawan sa Dabaw” which highlights the abundant harvest of fruits, vegetables and flowers and also to grant recognition to the richness of the sundry artistic and history of Davao. As time went by, the world has fully known Kadayawan as the festival of festivals which leads more tourists to visit and enjoy the vibe of the city. Yesterday as I was walking at the streets under the heat of sun I saw lots of foreigners walking with me as they witness the street dancing commonly called “Indak-indak sa Kadalanan”. You can see the colors of their eyes and the gladness they feel inside their heart. I met a group of English who intends to travel around the world to discover culture and events. One of which was Alona who testified everything seems so perfect; from the dances, to the costumes and to the chime of the instruments. “It was magnificent, perfect, perfect!,” she said. She also added that the heat did not bother her because she was enjoying the steps of the dancers and the candid smiles make her smile even more. Indeed, the colors of the dances fill in the sweat pouring out from her face. While waiting for the final Indak-indak showdown, I met a couple from Australia named Diane and James. Both of them have travelled in most countries in the world to witness different kinds of festivals. They’ve joined Kadayawan festival three times already and for them it still number one. The foreigners were astounded by the performances and how Dabawenyos offered their time and efforts for the preparation of their huge and bulky props. However, despite of the vibrant celebration of the Kadayawan, the discipline of Davao made them want to visit even more. According to Diane, what makes them come back more and more in Davao is the Smoke-Free ordinance in the city. “It is wonderful to walk around seeing nobody blows a single smoke of a cigarette,” Diane said. Moreover, visitors appreciated how the authority tights up the security in the city. It was given emphasis to PJ Smith from New Mexico, “I want to commend the city for having everything secured, I can see Police officers and Armies walking and checking everything. Great job Davao!,” Smith said. Davao trading rate also heats up during the celebration of the festival. According to Mayet Centino, a saleslady of a certain boutique, it is unlikely to have foreigners visit their store but because of the Kadayawan festival there store is being occupied by tourists who’ll buy products authentically made in Davao every day. “Compared before, more foreigners have visited and bought original products in our store and it makes me happy every time I see them appreciate the products,” Centino said. (Kumpara sa una, mas daghan og nagapalit na mga Kano karon og makalipay nga makit-an sila na ma-appreciate ang among mga produkto). This signifies that Davao City is undeniably renowned. The world has seen how rich we are in culture, blessing and in health through our land festival Kadayawan. These are things that Dabawenyos should forever be proud of.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 02:42:37 +0000
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