OzikoroGregorian date + four-day cycle
Igbo Calendar
Check today, look up another date, or follow Eke, Orie/Oye, Afọ/Afor and Nkwọ/Nkwor across a month or full year.
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Orie Oye
Afọ Afor
Nkwọ Nkwor
Month view
Market-day month
Full-year viewView full year calendar
Choose a year to see all twelve months.
The basis this page uses
Community context matters
This page reckons the cycle from a fixed anchor: 1 January 2026 taken as Orie, repeating the four-day cycle. It is not a claim that every Igbo community uses the same anchor.
Ọgụ́àfọ̀ Ị̀gbò · the traditional reckoning
The thirteen-month year
Beyond the market-day lookup above, the traditional Igbo calendar was shaped by worship and spirit honouring as well as commerce: each community has a day assigned to open its markets, such as Ahia Orie, which is one reason the calendar is still in use. Its structure is summarised here from published reference material, principally Onwuejeogwu (1981).
Izu — the week
Four days follow one another in order: Eke, Orie, Afọ and Nkwọ.
Seven weeks
One month (Ọnwa) holds seven four-day weeks — 28 days.
Thirteen months
The year has 13 months, with an extra day added in the last month.
Keepers of time
The traditional time keepers in Igboland are the priests or Dibia.
| No. | Month (Ọnwa) | Gregorian equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ọnwa Mbụ | February–March |
| 2 | Ọnwa Abụọ | March–April |
| 3 | Ọnwa Ife Eke | April–May |
| 4 | Ọnwa Anọ | May–June |
| 5 | Ọnwa Agwụ | June–July |
| 6 | Ọnwa Ifejiọkụ | July–August |
| 7 | Ọnwa Alọm Chi | August to early September |
| 8 | Ọnwa Ilọ 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 |
Days and directions
The four days correspond to the cardinal points: Afọ to the north, Nkwọ to the south, Eke to the east and Orie to the west. Tradition holds that these spirits, who were fishmongers, were created by Chineke to establish a social system throughout Igboland.
Major and minor days
While there are four days, they come in alternate cycles of “major” and “minor”, giving a longer eight-day cycle.
| 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 |
Nri-Igbo reckoning
Months and meanings
The month meanings below are in reference to the Nri-Igbo calendar of the Nri kingdom, which may differ from other Igbo calendars in terms of naming, rituals and ceremonies surrounding the months. Open a month to read its meaning.
Ọnwa Mbụ
The first month starts from the third week of February, making it the Igbo new year. The Nri-Igbo calendar year corresponding to 2012 was slated to begin with the annual year-counting festival known as Igu Aro on 18 February (an Nkwọ day on the third week of February). The Igu Aro festival, held in March, marked the lunar year as the 1,013th recorded year of the Nri calendar.
Ọnwa Abụọ
This month is dedicated to cleaning and farming.
Ọnwa Ife Eke
Described as the fasting period, usually known as “Ugani” in Igbo, meaning ‘hunger period’. It is the period in which all must fast in sacrificial harmony to the goddess Ani of the Earth. Many communities host competitive wrestling events in this month, as it is dedicated to finding one’s Ikenga through conquering personal and communal struggle.
Ọnwa Anọ
Ọnwa Anọ is when the planting of seed yams starts. In many communities this is the month of the Ekeleke dance festival, which emphasises optimism, sustaining belief in God through hardships and the coming of better days.
Ọnwa Agwụ
Ịgọchi na mmanwụ — adult masquerades — come out in this month. Ọnwa Agwụ is the traditional start of the year. The Alusi Agwu, after which the month is named, is venerated in this month by the Dibia (priests), by whom Agwu is specifically worshipped.
Ọnwa Ifejiọkụ
This month is dedicated to the yam deity Ifejioku and Njoku Ji, and yam rituals are performed in this month for the New Yam Festival.
Ọnwa Alọm Chi
This month sees the harvesting of the yam. It is also a time of prayer and meditation for women. The Alọm Chi is a shrine or memorial a woman builds in honour of her ancestors: a month dedicated to reconnecting with the ancestors by breaking kola and holding communion with them, venerating mothers and motherhood, remembering one’s ‘first mother’ — the woman from whom all of humanity and creation comes — and connecting one’s children, including those yet to be born.
Ọnwa Ilọ Mmụọ
A festival called Ọnwa Asatọ (Eighth Month) is held in this month.
Ọnwa Ana
Ana (or Ala) is the Igbo earth goddess, and rituals for this deity commence in this month, hence it is named after her.
Ọnwa Okike
The Okike ritual takes place in this month.
Ọnwa Ajana
The Okike ritual also takes place in Ọnwa Ajana.
Ọnwa Ede Ajana
The rituals end in this month.
Ọnwa Ụzọ Alụsị
The last month sees the offering to the Alusi.
Festivals of the year
- Ịgụ Arọ — the new year festival, due around 18 February: at the planting season the king, the Eze Nri in the Nri area, tells the Igbo to go and sow their seed after the next rainfall. The Nri-Igbo yearly counting festival known as Ịgụ Arọ marked 10 March 2012 as the beginning of the 1,013th year of the Nri calendar; the festival was delayed due to other events.
- Emume Ọnwa-asatọ — the harvest festival, held in the eighth month.
- Imöka is celebrated on the 20th day of the second month.
Names from the market days
Newborn babies were sometimes named after the day they were born on, though this is no longer commonly used. Names such as Mgbeke (maiden born on the day of Eke) and Mgborie (maiden born on the Orie day) were common among the Igbo people. For males, Mgbo is replaced by Oko (male child of) or Nwa (child of) — as in the footballer Nwankwo Kanu.
Not universal, not synchronised. The Igbo calendar is described as “not something written down and followed … rather it is observed in the mind of the people”, so various groups may be at different stages of the week or even the year. Nonetheless, the four-eight day cycle serves to synchronise inter-village market days, and substantial parts — for example the Kingdom of Nri — do share the same year start. Some Igbo communities have tried to adjust the thirteen-month calendar to twelve months, in line with the Gregorian calendar, but it has not been easy.