Diyandi Iligan City.

Oct 3
10:25

2016

Brian J White

Brian J White

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DIYANDI is a good ritual performed beyond your Cathedral through the Pagpakanaug, before each novena and prior to the start of Komedya, or perhaps Comedia de San Miguel, a folk stage takes up depicting the celestial fight.

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The ritual depicts the courtship between a Maranao male and Higaonon female,Diyandi Iligan City. Articles and culminates  into providing symbolic visions of their union, and the thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest to St. Michael the Archangel. The ritual aptly describes the tranquil co-presence and existance of Iligan’s tri-persons – Maranaos, Higaonons and Christians.

Sometime in 1986, it had been somehow felt by the neighborhood fiesta committee that there is a need to further popularize the folk-dancing types and styles of the Iliganon. Hence there was a new concept born: the idea of a road dancing festival that would not only preserve certain classic art forms but promote them as well. In a day and age when culture and traditions happen to be battered by the incursions of modernity, the importance of such undertakings as a completion of classic art forms can’t be taken lightly. Heritage must be preserved.

Nowadays it’s called the KASADYA (road dance and merrymaking), which showcases these abundant and varied cultural traditions. Highlighted by the original Diyandi, Eskrima and the road drama. KASADYA that was started out, as an local type of entertainment has turned into a major tourist event attraction of Iligan drawing crowds to about 50,000 persons both native and tourist as well. It really is regarded as a non-income making project getting the most amount of spectators both at the roads and in the near the civic location proper when compared with other tourism related activities.

It is to end up being noted that the San Miguel Fiesta centered on KASADYA was acclaimed by the BBC Vacations (a monthly customer magazine published in Britain, and the good publication officially endorsed by the prestigious Uk Broadcasting Corporation) as a good tourist vacation spot, and a very fine attraction for tourists to experience. It cited the tribal pageantry blended with Christian piety well-known with brightly costumed individuals miming combat with unseen adversaries to cries of “Viva Senior San Miguel”. Other individuals, dressed as warrior angels, march solemnly. It added that it’s very unique as a result of the miracle play known as the Yawa-yawa, performed in vernacular dialogue and depicting Lucifer’s unsuccessful revolt against God and the great angels. Other nationwide and local publications likewise cited KASADYA as a tourist destination and event at Iligan.

The Iligan Diyandi Festival may be the official title of the city’s month long celebration. It is to market the cultural identification and honoring the city’s patron Saint Michael The Archangel.

The Iligan City Council proposed and approved an answer establishing Diyandi Festival as the tourism name of the event at Iligan in 2004. Diyandi Frestival has been forever born!

Today, the festival has grown and evolved into an even more festive, colorful, and life perpetuating cultural celebration.

Diyandi Festival derived its brand from “diyandi” this means “celebrate” while “mag-diyandi” means “to celebrate”. It had been researched by the globally renowned imaginative director of the Integrated Arts Guild (IPAG).

Thus the term “diyandi” becomes an ideal trademark to Iligan’s extended festival celebration.