Iligan Diyandi Festival
Come, Celebrate 29 Days of Fun!
The Iligan Diyandi Festival is the official title for the city's month long cultural celebration.
Considered the tourism month, September in Iligan is the busiest and most fun filled occasion only second to Christmas in Iligan.
  
It wasn’t long ago that the
Iligan Fiesta
was only known for its patron saint, Señor San Miguel.
But today, the fiesta is highlighted by the cultural dance, the Diyandi, performed by an all-female group before the patron saint. The dance depicts the courtship between a Maranao male and a Higaonon female and culminates into an offering of their union and bountiful harvest to St. Michael, the Archangel.
Drum Up the Beat for a Culturally
Significant Event!
The "Diyandi" is also a rite performed by the "Dumagats" (now Christians), the Maranaos (Muslims) and the Higaonons (lumads or natives) to jointly pay homage to St. Michael.
The dance aptly depicts the multicultural background of Iligan City. The "Diyandi" had been passed from generations to generations and became a part of this city's cultural heritage.
To promote the cultural dance and establish a cultural identity of Iligan City, the City Council passed and approved a resolution establishing the “Diyandi Festival” as a tourism identity of Iligan City in 2004. Since then, the Iligan fiesta is also known as the Diyandi Festival.
The Diyandi festival is a month long celebration which starts on September 1 and culminates on
September 29
with the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel.
Iligan Fiesta
"Viva Senor San Miguel, Viva!"
The Feast of St. Michael is started with a procession of the image around the City starting at 7:00 am and ends at the St. Michael Cathedral after the procession around town. During the parade, devotees of the patron saint dance to the beat of the drums, chanting “Viva Señor, Viva Señor”. The parade is such a festive one that spectators also chant along as they watch the procession go by.
The Feast of St. Michael is officially started with a Holy Mass on September 20 at the Cathedral and the “Pagpakanaug” or the ritual transfer of the image of St. Michael from its niche in the main altar to a pedestal on the side altar.
Thousands of devotees flock to the cathedral to witness the ceremonies. The “pagpakanaug” also signals the start of the 9-day novena for the patron saint.
Join in the Fun...Thump Your Feet When the Dancers Dance in the Streets
One of the many highlights of the Diyandi Festival is the Kasadya Street Dancing Festival, this happens on the 27th of September on the streets of Iligan and it ends at the
Buhanginan Hill
- Anahaw Ampitheater.
The street dancing features dance competitions, which exposes the Iligan community to its different cultures and traditions. And, not only has it featured local dance forms but other Mindanao Tribal dance-forms as well.
The festival is also highlighted by the “Pamukaw”, the early dawn parade of the city’s band to rouse the residents for the dawn novenas; the Miss Iligan and Little Miss Iligan pageants. Trade fairs, sports competitions, concerts, street parties and clean-up drives also add to the festivities.
All together, they make the Diyandi Festival, a month-long festivity and an event you need to be home for.
Return from Diyandi Festival to Iligan Fiesta
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