Very cheerful Kadayawan Festival 2019 in Davao City!

August- a special month for many in Davao City. Not only was it prime for seasonal fruits like durian, marang and mangosteen, it was also the time for the Kadayawan Festival. I was in Davao City for over a week in August and I took the chance to partake in some of the celebrations around the city. This year, activities were held throughout the month, and was a very festive and colourful experience.

The festival’s origins go back as far as the 1970s. The many separate festivals by indigenous groups were then combined to a thanksgiving festival called Apo Duwaling in 1986. Originally showcasing thanksgiving ceremonies by the tribal groups, it was rebranded as Kadayawan in 1995 by the then Davao mayor and current Philippine President Duterte. Aside from celebrating the cultures and contributions of the eleven ethnic groups in Davao, this festival also promotes unity and thanksgiving for the bountiful harvests, as well as the peace and harmony everyone in the city regardless of ethnicity enjoys. In a country many views as Christian, this was also a great platform for the huge Muslim minority to showcase their heritage, particularly the Muslim tribes. A front seat view of the country’s diversity. Amazing!

Magsaysay Park was especially busy during my visit. Before we could even enter, lines were incredibly long and even reached past the fruit stands. Security was tight. Backpacks were forbidden, jackets and caps had to be taken off at the security checks and non-transparent water bottles were discouraged from being brought in. There were priority queues for the elderly and the physically disabled, which was a good touch. Aside from the security checks at the entrance, armed soldiers were also patrolling the very crowded space outside, on the prowl for suspicious individuals. Kudos to the army and local security forces! It must have been tough in that humidity and crowd, mad respect to you guys!

Fruit stands outside Magsaysay Park

The queue even reached here. Vendors, civilians and security forces all around.

Busy intersection between the park and Chinatown.

A vendor with the long queue at the back.

Traffic was a bit crazy, but flowing.

Inside, the Kadayawan Village was in full swing. Replicas of tribal houses were set up and decorated. There were exhibits on their way of life, traditional weapons, amazing embroidery, food and even native musical instruments being played! At the Maranao tribal area, ladies started to dance when a man started playing their traditional gong drums. Really festive! Many were also in their native clothing and they were more than willing to pose for photos. 

The Ata tribeswomen in their colourful costumes and Matigsalog at the background.

Matigsalog people showcasing their music.

The very elaborative Maranao display. Torogan, the traditional Maranao Royal house.

The Maranaos are part of the Moro people. Of the 11 ethnic groups represented in Kadayawan, six are Moro (Taosug, Maguindanaon, Kagan, Maranao, Iranun and Sama) while 5 are Lumad (Ata, Klata, Ubo Manuvo, Matigsalog, and Tagabawa). Lumad means native and is the collective identity of indigenous people of Mindanao that are un-Islamized and un-Chirstianized. Moros on the other hand are groups indigenous to Mindanao and Sabah that have converted to Islam in the 14th to 15th century.

Maranao or "people of the lake" in reference to their ancestral land near Lake Lanao. They can be found all throughout Mindanao and in Sabah.

Tourists posing with Maranao heirlooms, many passed from different royal families.

"Sarimanok", a Maranao legendary bird.

Traditional Maranao gongs, similar to those used by closely linked tribes in the region.

Another intricate Maranao display.

Maranao women dancing happily.

Like the Maranaos, the Iranun also identify as Moro. Similarly, they are indigenous and found in Mindanao and Sabah, and their clothes strongly resemble the baju kurong of Malaysia. Their language sounded similar to Malay too based on what I heard with some common words thrown in.

Crowds by the Tausug exhibit.

 At the middle of the park, there was an oval shaped rink where many cycled and skated. At the waterfront, many sat enjoying the seaside view and breeze. Vendors were going around selling balloons, face paint and water, but no one was pushy. Very nice and refreshing atmosphere! Pastil, a local Muslim dish, was being sold with other interesting native food, as well as fruits. There were benches and tables for people to consume durians, rambutans and lanzones.

The very lively rink.

Durian decorations, Davao is the durian capital of the country.

Lanzones being sold in the Kadayawan Village.

Davao Gulf from the waterfront.

Very happening.

After roaming around the exhibits, it was time for durian at the fruit stalls right outside the park.

Durians were fresh, creamy and really delightful.. at a fraction of the cost of durian in Singapore! 

The other event I went to was “Pamulak sa Kadayawan”. Decorative floats were paraded in streets at the city centre. There was a competition as well, where the best floats would be awarded. Due to the road closures, I was dropped a few streets away and I had to find my way to the parade. Marco Polo hotel was my marker and I was able to catch the second half of the floats. Again, security was omnipresent, armed soldiers and guards actively checking bags along the whole route! The floats were colourful and innovative. Many had traditional instruments being played, others had choreographies, and some had impressive moving floral installations.

Impressive floral float by the junction of Marco Polo hotel.

There was massive press coverage and a live broadcast on the regional TV networks.

If you look closely, there were people watching from the roof of Ateneo de Davao University!

It was really crowded and I took refuge in Aldevinco, a complex full of souvenir shops. I mistakenly headed the wrong direction and ended up at City Hall, where the life of the party was. Crowds were exceptionally thick, we were like sardines and pedestrians had to squeeze through to move across. I saw the judging panel for the floats competition and caught some of the earlier floats that I missed. Aside from tribal groups, companies such as AirAsia also sent their own floats, as well as floats from Indonesia and China. Manado and Jinjiang are sister cities of Davao after all. Manado has very strong cultural ties to Mindanao- Davao has a sizable Indonesian population many tracing their roots from Sulawesi and Tangihe. Consulate officials and some I assume were locals of Indonesian descent trailed behind their float, waving the Indonesian flag. They were also promoting Indonesia for tourism given that Garuda will launch direct flights to Manado in September, a huge banner featuring the diving paradise of Raja Ampat plastered on their float. As for China, aside from the fact that President Xi and President Duterte get along very well, many Filipino Chinese trace their ancestry to Fujian, which Jinjiang is a part of, so there are strong historical and cultural links as well. There are direct flights between Davao and Jinjiang too.

The crowds at Aldevinco, and this was not the most crowded part!

Drummers who loved interacting with the audience. They readily posed for cameras and would pound harder when cheered!

A balloon vendor making his way through the crowd, with the AirAsia float at the background. Many would not buy balloons but would instead pay to borrow the stack for photos.

Vendors and police removing the traffic cones after the last float has passed.

City Hall area was really packed I couldn't take out my phone to take photos. Another round of applause and appreciation for security forces who were in full gear in those less than ideal situations.

There were more celebrations around the city but I only managed to catch these two. It was amazing being a part of this, you could feel everyone pumped up and celebrating. There were also many tourists, both local and foreign, and it was great that everyone came down to celebrate. Kadayawan festival indeed was one to celebrate culture, cohesion and humanity. Until the next time Davao!