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Igbo (WAT)

EpochConfidenceAssociated with
UnknownHighOnitsha, Nigeria

Overview

The Igbo calendar is a calculated solar calendar used by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It has 13 months of 28 days each, except for the final month which has 29 days for a total of 365 days in a year.

The Igbo week consists of 4 days, each with an associated market, named Eke, Orie, Afo, and Nkwo. Each month is 7 weeks long.

The Igbo calendar has no central authority and limited specific rules, so the start of the day may be at sunrise, though this site uses midnight in Nigeria. Years are not specifically counted in this calendar’s usual practice.

Info

Since this calendar is 365 days with no intercalation, it drifts relative to the equinoxes by about 1 day every 4 years.

MonthsDaysApproximate Gregorian alignment
Ọnwa Mbụ28February–March
Ọnwa Abụọ28March–April
Ọnwa Ife Eke28April–May
Ọnwa Anọ28May–June
Ọnwa Agwụ28June–July
Ọnwa Ifejiọkụ28July–August
Ọnwa Alọm Chi28August–early September
Ọnwa Ilọ Mmụọ28Late September
Ọnwa Ana28October
Ọnwa Okike28Early November
Ọnwa Ajana28Late November
Ọnwa Ede Ajana28Late November–December
Ọnwa Ụzọ Alụsị29January–early February
Weekdays
Eke
Orie
Afo
Nkwo

Accuracy

Since this calendar is pracrticed by many different people and has no central authority, it is likely that it only matches some groups' interpretation of the calendar.

I was unable to find any specific point at which the day starts, but it seems any time before or up to sunrise is acceptable.

Wikipedia noted that 10 March 2012 marked the year-counting festival and noted that it was the 1013th year based on the "lunar calendar", though the source is dead. I was unable to verify anything related to this claim and have decided not to use it.

Source

Common Source

Wikipedia article

Primary Sources