Brief History of Danao City

Danao City Hall at the back of Mano Amon Durano Shrine

There is no concrete record to support the story on how Danao got its name. Although in the 1960’s there were circularized copies of a story concerning the early founding of Danao, but the contents and substance were but clear reproduction of an old legendary version which related of a Spanish Captain by the name of Manuel Aniceto del Rosario who, as the story went, was commissioned by the early Spanish authorities in the province of Cebu to establish municipalities starting from what is now Danao City towards the northern part of Cebu as far as what is now presently the municipality of Borbon.

This developed when in compliance with his commission, Capt. Del Rosario went to said places to perform his duties. Riding on a horse on his way to the north after a place called Cotcot, he came upon a few natives who were resting and taking time bathing their carabaos in one of the many lakes in the area. Dismounting from his horse, the Captain took his rest and in a short while struck conversation with the surprised natives. Pointing vertically his forefinger to the ground where they stood, the captain inquired just what was the name of the place, with the impression that the stranger might have asked the name of the small lakes where their carabaos were resting, one of the native instantly replied: "DANAWAN" (a Cebuano dialect for small lake) which, according to the story, on account of the Captain’s defective sense of hearing, only heard and recorded the first syllable DA-NAO. Thus begun the early naming of the place DANAO.

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Danao City Hymn 

KARANSA FESTIVAL

"Tara Na Mag Karansa NA TA!!!!!"

 

Karansa is a merry-making performed by local Danawanons whenever they group together durimg their idle times, especially after dinner. This is usually done by the barangay folks of Barangay Suba, one of the barangays in Danao City, who love music and dancing.

One time, a group of Danawanons mentioned of the Sinulog of Cebu, the Ati-atihan of Aklan, the Dinagyang of Iloilo, the Maskara of Bacolod, the Pintados of Tacloban and other ancestral and ritual dances and they decided to have their own way of street dancing which they named Karansa, a dance expressing one's joy and happiness performed in any body movement whenever someone feels the urge to dance whatever music there may be for as long as the steps jive with the rhythm of the music.

During the incumbency of Mayor Ramon D. Durano Jr., the Karansa was first performed as a street dancing and merry-making during the Danao City Fiesta Celebration. It has captured so much of the attention of the local Danawanons as well as the visitors so that it was then practiced anually as a tourist attraction.

In 1997, the Karansa Foundation was established with Mr. Jesus C. Mecca as the first elected President for the Karansa Foundation to have a legal personality and in order to have the support of the City government, the City Council of Danao enacted an ordinance declaring Karansa as one of the tourist attractions of Danao City. On October 06, 1998, the Karansa Foundation became an incorporation after having been registered with Securities and Exchange Commission.

As the official street dancing and merry-making of Danao, such as the Sinulog of Cebu, Karansa has no official beat yet as of the moment, however, the Foundation is in its search for the purpose.

Karansa is a dance festival that shows the joy and happiness through performing the four basic dance steps, the kikay, karag, kurug and kurahay.

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watch karansa festival

SPECIAL DELICACIES NGA LAMIAAN KAAYO :)

TINAP-ANAN

 

A very famous tapahan in the province of Cebu is in Danao City, a 45 minutes-1 hr drive from Cebu City.  Before reaching the city's church, there are plenty of stalls along the street that will surely catch your attention.  One stick of tinap-anan will cost 50-100 pesos depending on the size. The stores here are situated near the sea shore, so the fish are very fresh.

"LAMIAN KAAYO NGA TINAP-ANAN SA DAKBAYAN SA DANAO RAJUD MATAGAMTAMAN"

 

KISEO

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 Its not that the Philippines doesn’t have cheese. It’s just that what an American would consider commonplace cheeses, like Parmesan or Swiss,  are imported and expensive. In an archipelago there simply isn’t a lot of room for cattle, which means not a lot of fresh milk or local cheese products. However, there is a tradition of cheese making here. It is called kiseo and typically uses carabao’s (water buffalo) milk.

 

CASAJOS

 

Tapas or “casajos” are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squids). In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In Spain, patrons of tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. In some Central American countries, such snacks are known as bocas. In Mexico, similar dishes are called "botanas."

The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas.

 

     "KAON NATA MGA DANAWANON"