A student from the Accountancy division expressing his pride for his cluster during the parade. Photo by Alexis Matthew Reyes
A wave of colorful costumes and props and vibrant faces were everywhere during the 68th Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) Fiesta Parade, which was held right after the Fiesta Mass on the morning of Aug. 11.
The main theme of the event was the cluster and school emblems, which embodied the identity of each cluster and school in relation to the theme of this year’s fiesta and intramurals, which is “Inang Maria, Gabay sa Pagbabalik-tanaw at Paglalakbay Tungo sa Pagkamit ng Kapayapaan sa Lipunan at Mindanao”.
The objectives of the parade were to encourage the students to actively engage themselves in the activities that were prepared for the fiesta and to strengthen the sense of collaboration in the students through actively participating in these activities.
The route of the said parade started at Rizal Park, where the different clusters gathered and prepared. The students then walked to C.M. Recto. Upon arriving near the university, the Senior High School students entered through the Roxas gate while the college students passed through the Jacinto gate and proceeded to the Martin Hall for the opening ceremony.
The parade started with the procession of the Marian Float. The teaching and non-teaching personnel, the varsity athletes, the Senior High School Student department, the SAMAHAN Central Board, and the Campus Club Organization followed with their own floats.
As the for University students’ parade flow, the Computer Science (CS) division came first, followed by the Humanities and Letters (HumLet) department, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) department, School of Education (SOE) department, School of Nursing (SON) department, Social Sciences (SS) department, Business and Management (B&M) department, School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) department and lastly, the Accountancy (ACC) department.
SAMAHAN Secretary-General Dexter Jake Villarosa shared that the parade is a tradition.
“Aside from that, it is actually the transition from the mass to the celebration itself,” he added.
He also explained that the main attraction of the parade was the Marian float, which was prepared by the Campus Ministry office.
“The parade serves as a reminder of the theme of the fiesta celebration, na it is celebrated because of the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady,” he said.