Carigara, Leyte
Encyclopedia
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,455 people in 8,571 households.
Barangays
Carigara is politically subdivided into 49 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
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History
Carigara is a town in northern Leyte located right at the shore of a beautiful bay. It is surrounded by wide rice fields fanning out towards the mountains in a distance.It was first called Kangara, meaning "that of Gara" or simply "Gara's". Gara was said to have come from Borneo, one of the unnamed companions of the ten datus who landed in Panay and purchased that island from the Ati (or Aeta) chief Marikudo. Later, for phonetic convenience, Kangara became Kalgara and when the Spaniards came, they called the place Carigara; hence its present name.
Carigara has a history unique from its neighboring towns. It is the first town established in Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas is one of the two regions of the Philippines having no land border with another region, MIMAROPA being the other, and is designated as Region VIII...
. Its town fiesta which was celebrated every 16th of July, commemorates the day of the first coming of the Spaniards dated July 16, 1569. The fiesta that is celebrated almost the entire month of July was dubbed as the Fiesta of the Holy Cross.