By Marie Tonette Marticio CARIGARA, Leyte – Carigara, the oldest town in Eastern Visayas, will stage its first official festival when it celebrates its 448th founding anniversary on Jan. 25. Dale Daniel Bodo, the tourism officer of Carigara, said the weeklong celebration of the Magara Festival will feature four aspects of their town's livelihood, culture, and heritage. "The first Magara Festival focuses on the celebration of the abundance of the municipality in terms of agriculture, products, history, and people," Bodo said. They used to have several festivals, but Bodo said they decided to come up with one official festival in an effort to make Carigara as a tourism hub in Leyte. Magara locally means abundant, elegant and vibrant. Bodo said Mayor Eduardo Ong Sr. personally chose the word to represent their town's socio-cultural heritage. The festival will be highlighted by the presentation of the Datu Gara Awards to outstanding Carigaran-ons. Carigara is known for its pastillas, humba, sundang (machete), and the hubhob, a local delicacy made of grated cassava, egg, kalamay, milk, and sugar cooked inside a bagacay (bamboo pole) over charcoals. "We want to emphasize this to the youth because hubhob-making is a dying tradition and we want to bring it back," he said. Ong welcomed Malacañang's proclamation declaring Jan. 25 as a special non-working day. “This event is something to be proud of and we look forward to a meaningful celebration showcasing the strength and talents of our people,” Ong said.