MANTAWI..a festival of history.

     The name Mandaue is derived from the legend Mantawi,the vine that grew abundantly in the cove called Mandawe which Magellan first sighted upon entry to the Island Sugbo in search for food and supplies for its voyage back to Spain.

     According to legends, Mantawi was a clinging vine which grew abundantly in the coastal areas where Mandaue got its name. It was made into a pueblo in 1899 by the Spanish conguestadores after its discovery on April 7, 1521. Now extinct, its search is vital to Mandaue's survival, growth and development, progress and success.

     The Mantawi Festival is a rediscovery of Mandaue City's rich cultural heritage. Its historical past is to affirm its present identity as a highly urbanized industrial center and a new tourism destination where arts and culture become tools for progress and prosperity.

     This features a historical parade of street dancing and diorama floats to unfold the history of Mandaue. Seven hundred students, teachers, and school officials from public and private schools and some 100 government employees together will perform seven historical eras of Mandaue's history in 1521 up to the present.

     The Mantawi Festival becomes a significant educational learning encounter. Students transform native delicacies such as bibingka, budbud and tagaktak into dance movements, while broom and salt making are made alive as street dances. dances. Mandaue's major historical eras become live dioramas on a Float Parade. The value of family, unity and solidarity of people of Mandaue is translated most effectively through live diorama floats and street dancing.

     The Mantawi Festival traverses centuries of culture and relieves the past to vividly understand the history and heritage of Mandaue City.

     These and many many more await you!