Saturday, August 21, 2004 Usbaw! Labaw! By Nelson C. Bagaforo
WHAT used to be a cultural rite, where ethnic tribes around Mt. Apo usually gathered during harvest-time to give thanks to their gods especially the all-powerful Bathala (Supreme God) for a bountiful harvest, has metamorphosed into a festival of festivals, aptly called "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" celebrated during the third week of August.
It has transformed into a festival, not only of thanksgiving, but to honor Davao's rich heritage, its past personified by ancient "lumads" and its people and to promote Davao City as an investment haven where lumads, Christians and Muslims co-exist in harmony. All these can be witnessed through various activities and events, depicting the city's rich and colorful culture.
The thanksgiving festival was institutionalized in 1986 to unite Dabawenyos after the turbulent Martial Law years. It was then called "Apo Duwaling," a contraction of the famous icons of the city, namely Mt. Apo, durian and waling-waling.
Two years later, it was renamed "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" to better reflect the merry spirit and indigenous theme of the celebration. Dayao, the root word of kadayawan, is a Dabawnon meaning good. Its derivative Madayaw is an all-positive lumad word that connotes happiness, beauty, bounty festivity, and good fortune.
Each year, the festival has grown bigger and more spectacular, marked by street dancing, floral float parade, agro-industrial trade fair, cultural shows, food festival and the Bagobo horsefight, a tribal animal show where native stallions are made to compete for a chosen mare.
But its organizers, led by the Kadayawan Foundation, have never run out of fresh activities in a bid to promote the city's rich resources and cultural heritage.
This year, Dabawenyos together with the rest of Mindanao celebrate the 19th Kadayawan sa Dabaw on August 16-22, with the theme "Usbaw Labaw!" ("Grow Beyond!"), aptly so as the festival goes beyond boundaries, limitations and beyond its past successes.
The 19th Kadayawan sa Dabaw, which kicked off August 16 with a Pasalamat, the formal opening rituals with an ecumenical ceremony held in front of the City Hall, and will be concluded tomorrow, has everything revelers could look for.
For the first time, the food festival, first introduced some three celebrations ago in a limited scale and showcasing Davao's sumptuous culinary treasures, is now one of the festival's highlights with much flair.
Dubbed as Ka'an Dawet (literally means "food and music" in Bagobo), it features Davao cuisine as prepared by various restaurants, hotels, bars, resorts, eateries and caterers, in a bid to strengthen the claim of the city as the epicurean center in Mindanao.
This weeklong fiesta started August 16 until tomorrow at the Millennium Park on Roxas Avenue.
Making the feast even more exciting is the nightly entertainment featuring Davao City's finest bands and musical talents.
A first in the Kadayawan, which according to Id Acaylar could be considered a milestone in Kadayawan celebrations, is the live coverage of the festivities.
This was realized through the initiatives of the city government and ABS-CBN television network, which will feature the Kadayawan over ABS-CBN's local stations, Studio 23 and the Filipino Channel's Pinoy Central TV that airs abroad.
"It serves the purpose very much. Kita mo naman, we have reached worldwide. It has a very big impact," Acaylar said.
He said such initiative gives the city a positive exposure and big media mileage.
To be featured live before an international audience is today's Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan and tomorrow's Floral Float Parade, two of the most-awaited and the most spectacular events during the festival.
True enough, the world today is about to witness people's celebration of life through street dancing and merriment to the beat of agongs and kulintangs and modern variants along the major streets of Davao City, highlighted by choreographed theatrics and participated in by children and adults clad in colorful costumes.
Acaylar said at least 2,000 participants will join today's Indak Indak, of which 50 percent will be coming from the different provinces outside Davao.
Tomorrow, the Floral Float Parade, another colorful parade of florally-dressed floats of various shapes and sizes and adorned with thousands of flowers, fruit and fresh produce in wild abundance, will also be beamed live to world TV audience.
Viewers will surely be amazed by a deluge of flora and fauna in the region, thriving amidst forests and marshes protected by mountains and fertile land.
Several highlights of the almost weeklong revelry are worth mentioning.
These events happen simultaneously. The Pamukaw warms up the city with an early dawn noise barrage and parade participated by folks from different sectors.
The Mindanao Indigenous Dance Festival features theatrical tribal groups presenting music and dances of Mindanao's epics, folklore, and traditions.
The Bagobo Horsefight is a tribal tradition where native stallions are made to compete for a chosen mare.
Indigay sa Lumadnong Dula are traditional community sports participated by indigenous people, barangay folks and youth to foster cross-cultural relations and harmony.
The Pasidungog is a culminating program formally recognizing winners of competitive events and festival supporters.
The Agro-Industrial Fair exhibits Mindanao's products, participated in by farmers, plant growers, handicraft producers and manufacturers.
The Indigenous People's Festival is a tribute to the ethnic and Muslim tribes in a presentation of songs, dances and dramatics that display their culture with pride.
The Floricultural Exhibit is a landscape presentation of flowers and ornamentals as well as display of indigenous flora species.
Yanog ug Yugyugan sa Kadalanan is street dancing in various thoroughfares in the city.
The Hiyas sa Kadayawan is a search without gender bias from outstanding personalities with Mindanawon appeal. But, as expected, only female aspirants joined. The idea of having a beauty contest for both gender hasn't sank in yet, it seems.
The Davao River Festival, the first of the activities, is an opportunity to present the historical Davao River from which Davao City derived its name. In this parade agricultural, industrial and aquatic products are flaunted on the waters in a procession of gaily decorated boats.
All these activities, coupled by various events organize by entertainment establishments and shopping malls in the city, made Dabawenyos proud of their cultural heritage. The past days saw the successful stagings of these activities.
Meanwhile, Davao City's 3,000 hotel rooms are fully booked with foreign and local tourists.
"We are expecting more tourists to come, but I would prefer Filipinos to come here and join us in the celebrations," Acaylar said. Kadayawan sa Dabaw is really an experience.
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