Official website of the 2000 Kadayawan Festival." Piles of various farming instruments, from knives to bolos to sticks used to till the soil, harvest fruits and gather flowers. Baskets of fruits, trays of colorful native orchids, rice and corn grains, fruits and vegetables were religiously displayed on mats. A familiar scene on the village squares of old Dabaw, all these in thanksgiving to the Almighty for the year's bountiful harvest. This ritual of Pahinongod is still practiced by modern Davaoeños. Thus, the kadayawan.In the seventies, Mayor Elias B. Lopez, a Bagobo, initiated tribal festivals in the Poblacion. Representatives of the Bagobos (Tagabawa, Guiangan, Clata, and Ata), the Manobos, Mansakas and the Mandayas, the Muslims and others, gather to the lowland to perform dances and rituals of thanksgiving. The performances take the city folks and tourists to the richness and deeply ingrained cultural rituals of the natives.[read more]

Official website of the 2001 Kadayawan Festival. Includes Press Releases, Pictures, Event recaps, News releases, Parade maps and more."The KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL easily ranks among the most well-known traditional celebrations being held in Mindanao. In fact, no other festival or celebration has captured the imaginations of most Mindanaoans more than the Kadayawan Festival. Holding true to its' tradition, the KADAYAWAN promises to be even more memorable this year. And with the help of the City Government and the people of Davao, things should get even more rosy.

A wide array of fruits, variety of flowers, this is just a symbolism that Kadayawan already fills the air of Davao… Kadayawan is not a yearly festival but an annual expression of the people of Davao of their heartfelt thanksgiving for another year of bounty, peace and blessing.It is also one symbolism that defines how Dabaweños unite, amidst the notion that Mindanao is in “ combat”. Thus, this year’s theme: Harmony in Diversity: A culture of peace, is one flagship that Dabaweños would life to flaunt.[read more]