Important Facts About Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival in Davao City

• The Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival originated from the tradition of thanksgiving amongst the indigenous communities called Pahinongod. Various farm tools, baskets of fruits, trays of colorful native orchids, rice and corn grains and vegetables were displayed on mats as thanksgiving to the Almighty for the year's bountiful harvest.

• In the seventies, Mayor Elias B. Lopez, a Bagobo, initiated feasts in the poblacion with representatives from the different ethno-linguistic groups Tagabawa, Clata, Ata, Manobo, Mandaya and the Islamized Indigenous Communities. They performed dances and rituals of thanksgiving.

• The first title of the feast "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" was "Apo Duwaling Festival". It was a contraction from the things the city was known for: Mt. Apo, Durian and Waling-Waling. The first festival was done in 1986 which was aimed at promoting Davao as a peaceful city. Early on, feasts were not as grand and the Apo Duwaling Festival revived celebration of colorful festivals. This was organized by the Floriculture Industry Council of Southern Mindanao (FICSMIN).

• In 1988, "Apo Duwaling" was renamed "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" which is Dabawnon expression for anything that is good, excellent and brings great fortune. It was derived from the aboriginal word "dayaw" meaning good or "madayaw" referring to things of great value, profitable, superior or beneficial.

• In the year 2005 until 2010, Kadayawan was revered as the Festival of Festivals. This was so having various festivals such as Mindanao Indigenous Dance Festival, the World Music Festival (Tugtog, later known as Tunog Mindanao), the Indigenous Music Festival (Agongan or Kulintangan), the Indigenous Peoples Festival and the River Festival. In 2011, the tag line was changed to King of Festivals.

• The Hiyas sa Kadayawan was originally a model search conceptualized to contribute to the growing fashion industry in the city. In 2007, it was changed to a competition among young, indigenous ladies who are knowledgeable of the culture and history of the indigenous community they represent. The first model Hiyas 1997 was Marie Rose Cadorna Escalada and the first indigenous Hiyas 2007 was Samrah Nuh, a Kagan.

• The Kadayawan Theme Song was composed by Joey Ayala, 2000 Datu Bago Awardee.