Carigara is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,455 people in 8,571 households.
Carigara is politically subdivided into 49 barangays.
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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. 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.
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