Old American settlers once described Davao’s fertile richness as “Garden of the Gods” . And even before the arrival of Spanish, American, Japanese colonialists alongside settlers from Luzon and Visayas, the land had nurtured the communities inhabiting the region
The origins of the Kadayawan can be traced back to a thanksgiving festival, held by the tribes living in the foothills of Mt. Apo as a gesture of thanks to the supreme being Manama for the bountiful harvests. In the 1970s, then Mayor Elias V. Lopez, a full-blooded Bagobo, initiated several tribal festivals which highlighted the thanksgiving rituals and ceremonies of the Davao City’s indigenous communities.
In 1987, Davao City OIC Mayor Zafiro Respicio unified these festivals into one large festival which was called ‘Apo Duwaling’ named after Mt. Apo, the durian fruit and the waling-waling orchid which were known as the city’s icons.
“At that time Mayor Respicio decided that we will have a festival that will attract more tourists because at that time may problema ang lungsod sa peace and order. So, to ensure that people will come to celebrate the goodness of Davao we have the Apo Duwaling Festival,” said journalist Ed Fernandez, who was the City Tourism officer during the time of OIC Mayor Respicio.
Fernandez shared the essence of this religious festival was to give thanks to God regardless of the various names by which He was known among the diverse communities residing in Davao.
“When it is a religious festival, it will not die because it comes from our spiritual belief that Davao City has all the blessings, has all the gifts bestowed by God in whatever name he is known to our IPs,” Fernandez said.
The festival was renamed in 1988 into ‘Kadayawan’ from the indigenous word ‘Madayaw’ which means good, something beautiful or abundant.
