KADAYAWAN is a festival of thanksgiving for bountiful harvest and tribute to its colorful tribes in Exotic Mindanao. A celebration that interfaces the three aspects; tribal, industrial and arts and entertainment. The festivities will be highlighted by the floral float, street-dancing competitions and exhibits showcasing the island's tourism products and services.

Madayaw! - is the warm and friendly greeting derived from the Dabawenyo word "dayaw" that means good. It is also used to describe anything that is valuable, superior or beautiful. Such is "Kadayawan," a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and the serenity of living.

The thanksgiving festival was institutionalized in 1986 to unite the Dabawenyos after the turbulent Martial Law years. It was then called Apo Duwaling, a contraction of the famous icons of the city, the Mt. Apo, durian and waling-waling. Two years later, it was renamed Kadayawan to better reflect the merry spirit and indigenous theme of the celebration.

However, today, Kadayawan has metamorphosed into a festival, the mother of many other festivals in the region as it honors Davao's heritage, its past personified by the ancestral lumads as they celebration on the streets, and its floral industry as they parade in full regalia in thanksgiving for the blessings bestowed.

Through 18 Kadayawan years, Davao City has nurtured a culture of peace in harmony with nature and with great respect to indigenous traditions. It has become the gateway to the arts and culture of Mindanao. All these are found in Kadayawan. Sun.Star Davao

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