Igbo calendar
Encyclopedia
The Igbo calendar is the traditional calendar
system of the Igbo people
which has 13 months in a year, 7 weeks in a month, and 4 days in a week. The calendar has its roots steeped in ritualism and symbolism; many parts of the Igbo calendar are named or dedicated to certain spirits and deities in the Igbo mythology. Some of the spirits and deities were believed to have given the Igbo people knowledge of time
.
Although worship and spirit honoring was a very big part in the creation and development of the Igbo calendar system, commerce also played a major role in creating the Igbo calendar. This was emphasized in Igbo mythology itself. An example of this is the Igbo market days of which each community has a day assigned to open its markets, this way the Igbo calendar is still in use.
are the priests or Dibia.
The names of the day's have their roots in the mythology of the Kingdom of Nri
. Eri
, the sky-descended founder of the Nri kingdom, had gone on to break the mystery of time and on his journey he had saluted and counted the four days by the names of the spirits that governed them, hence the names of the spirits eke, orie, afọ and Nkwo became those of the days of the week. These spirits, who were fishmongers, were sent down by Chukwu (Great God) in order to establish markets throughout Igboland which they did by selling fish.
An example of a month: Ọnwa Mbụ
[born] on the day of Eke), Mgborie (maiden [born] on the Orie day) and so on were common among the Igbo people. For males Mgbo is replaced by Oko (Igbo
: Male child [of]) or Nwa (Igbo
: Child [of]). An example of this is Nwankwo Kanu
, a popular footballer.
) is the Igbo earth goddess and rituals for this deity commence in this month, hence it is named after her.
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
system of the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
which has 13 months in a year, 7 weeks in a month, and 4 days in a week. The calendar has its roots steeped in ritualism and symbolism; many parts of the Igbo calendar are named or dedicated to certain spirits and deities in the Igbo mythology. Some of the spirits and deities were believed to have given the Igbo people knowledge of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
.
Although worship and spirit honoring was a very big part in the creation and development of the Igbo calendar system, commerce also played a major role in creating the Igbo calendar. This was emphasized in Igbo mythology itself. An example of this is the Igbo market days of which each community has a day assigned to open its markets, this way the Igbo calendar is still in use.
System
In the traditional Igbo calendar a week has 4 days (Eke, Orie, Afọ, Nkwọ), seven weeks make one month , a month has 28 days and there are 13 months a year. In the last month, an extra day is added. The traditional time keepers in IgbolandIgboland
Igboland, or Igbo land , also known as the Ibo, Ebo, and Heebo Country, is a cultural region in Nigeria that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Igbo people...
are the priests or Dibia.
| No. | Months (Ọnwa) | Gregorian equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ọnwa Mbụ | (3rd week of February) |
| 2 | Ọnwa Abụo | (March) |
| 3 | Ọnwa Ife Eke | (April) |
| 4 | Ọnwa Anọ | (May) |
| 5 | Ọnwa Agwụ | (June) |
| 6 | Ọnwa Ifejiọkụ | (July) |
| 7 | Ọnwa Alọm Chi | (August to early September) |
| 8 | Ọnwa Ilo Mmụọ | (Late September) |
| 9 | Ọnwa Ana | (October) |
| 10 | Ọnwa Okike | (Early November) |
| 11 | Ọnwa Ajana | (Late November) |
| 12 | Ọnwa Ede Ajana | (Late November to December) |
| 13 | Ọnwa Ụzọ Alụsị | (January to Early February) |
The names of the day's have their roots in the mythology of the Kingdom of Nri
Kingdom of Nri
The Kingdom of Nri was the West African medieval state of the Nri-Igbo, a subgroup of the Igbo people, and is the oldest kingdom in Nigeria. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects...
. Eri
Eri (divine king)
Eri is said to be the original legendary cultural head of the Nri-Igbo, a subgroup of the Igbo people and Godfather of Igbo Civilization. From oral and recorded accounts, he is said to come down from the sky, having been sent by God . Eri settled and established in the middle of Anambra river...
, the sky-descended founder of the Nri kingdom, had gone on to break the mystery of time and on his journey he had saluted and counted the four days by the names of the spirits that governed them, hence the names of the spirits eke, orie, afọ and Nkwo became those of the days of the week. These spirits, who were fishmongers, were sent down by Chukwu (Great God) in order to establish markets throughout Igboland which they did by selling fish.
An example of a month: Ọnwa Mbụ
| Eke | Orie | Afọ | Nkwọ |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 1 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 |
Naming after dates
Newborn babies are sometimes named after the day they were born on, though this is no longer commonly used. Names such as Mgbeke (maidenMaiden
Maiden or Maidens may refer to:* A female virgin; see virginity* Maiden name, the family name carried by a woman before marriage; see married and maiden names* Maiden, the first of the three aspects of the Triple Goddess...
[born] on the day of Eke), Mgborie (maiden [born] on the Orie day) and so on were common among the Igbo people. For males Mgbo is replaced by Oko (Igbo
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
: Male child [of]) or Nwa (Igbo
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
: Child [of]). An example of this is Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
, a popular footballer.
Ọnwa Agwụ
Ịgọchi na mmanwụ come out in this month which are adult masquerades. Ọnwa Agwu is the traditional start of the year. The Alusi Agwu, of which the month is named after is venerated by the Dibia (priests), of which Agwu is specifically worshiped by, in this month.Ọnwa Ifejiọkụ
This month is dedicated to the yam deity ifejioku and yam rituals are performed in this month.Ọnwa Ilo Mmụọ
A festival called Önwa Asatọ is held in this month.Ọnwa Ana
Ana (or AlaAla
Ala may refer to:* Ala , a female demon in the Serbian and Bulgarian mythology* Ala , an Alusi in Odinani* Ala , a Republican-period, largely infantry, formation of 5,400 men...
) is the Igbo earth goddess and rituals for this deity commence in this month, hence it is named after her.