Kadayawan sa Davao Festival

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Kadayawan sa Davao Festival is being held every third week in the month of August. It is a week long festival celebration of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest. It features various activities such as trade fairs, fruit and flower shows, traditional sports activities, street parades and horsefights. The highlights of this festival are the street dancing and the beauty and brain search for Mutya ng Davao.

The life and culture of the indigenous peoples have always been linked to the land. Since time immemorial, Davao has been the homeland of the Indigenous Peoples and land has become the core of their existence. If their land is lost, so is their culture and traditions. Thus, there is a need to defend the indigenous peoples’ ancestral lands for them to continually live and practice their way of life- consulting the spirits, working with nature and sharing with others. This is the main reason of celebrating the Kadayawan sa Dabaw 2008.

The theme for this year’s festival is "Musanay Lumadnong Kagikan, Yutang Kabilin Panalipdan!" (“Flourishing Indigenous Heritage, Protecting Ancestral Nations”).