Eyirieyi Obohia: The culture of my people, by Ikechukwu Amaechi

On Tuesday, August 11, 2026 – the second Nkwo market day – all roads from far and near will lead to Obohia, a bucolic agrarian community in Ahiazu-Mbaise local government area, Imo State, for their unique cultural fiesta – Eyirieyi Obohia, an age-long festival that unites the community as a people of common heritage. One of the unique characteristics of this cultural extravaganza is the permanence in date, which leaves no one in doubt. The name Eyirieyi (ihe eyiri eyi) literally means a festival that had been agreed upon with a fixed date.

It is not certain why the community’s forebears chose the second Nkwo market day for the festival. But the traditional Igbo week consists of four sacred market days – Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo – and most traditional Igbo communities name their central market squares after one of these four days – hence Nkwo Obohia. So, Eyirieyi, the cultural lodestar of Obohia people, is held annually at Nkwo Obohia.

It is a period of homecoming for many indigenes at home and abroad. Anthropologist Edward Tylor famously described culture as “that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habit acquired by man as a member of society.” In other words, culture is a way of life. But for Obohia people, Eyirieyi, a festival of peace, is not only a way of life; it defines them.

Its transcendental values elevate the community, hence the general greeting during the season – udo Eyirieyi diri anyi nile – may the peace of Eyirieyi abide with all of us. In the days preceding the festival, people are obliged to settle disputes as a gesture of spiritual purification in order to be considered worthy of partaking in the festivities. Those who do otherwise attract the wrath of the gods for flouting the otherwise inviolable obligations which the sacred period imposes on all.

Elders lead the community in prayers and thanksgiving, thus ushering in a new season of renewal imbued with faith that accentuates the hope for ancestral blessings. In essence, Eyirieyi Obohia is a sacred heritage, an affirmation of the people’s brotherhood. Even in its modern manifestation, nothing has changed fundamentally, as it is still a period of camaraderie when all indigenes – men and women, young and old – rededicate themselves to the values that promote brotherhood and eschew bitternes…