Subject

lunar cycles

2 records filed under this subject

Traditional Igbo calendar and lunar/solar alignments

The traditional Igbo calendar, known as Iguafo n’Igbo, is one of the most sophisticated and culturally significant indigenous time-keeping systems in West Africa. Far from being a primitive method of tracking days, it is a complex “astronomical and mathematical construct” that aligns the rhythms of human life with the celestial movements of the moon and…

Iguaro: The Igbo Calendar, Culture, and Cosmology

The Iguaro or Ògụ́àfọ̀ is a sacred ritual that marks the beginning of the Igbo lunar calendar, proclaimed by the Eze Nri, the spiritual and cultural leader of the Nri civilisation. For over a millennium, this tradition has signalled the start of the Igbo year in February, guided by the cycles of the moon. Rooted…