Eyirieyi Obohia Festival Celebrates Igbo Heritage in Imo State, Nigeria

The Eyirieyi Obohia festival is an annual cultural celebration held on the second Nkwo market day in August in Obohia, a rural community in Ahiazu‑Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria. The event draws indigenes from the local area and the diaspora in Europe, America and Asia, all converging for a period of homecoming and communal peace.

The festival’s date is fixed by traditional Igbo calendar customs, linking it to the sacred market day Nkwo. In the days preceding the celebration, community members are expected to settle disputes as a form of spiritual purification. Elders lead prayers and thanksgiving, and participants greet each other with the phrase “udo Eyirieyi diri anyi nile” (may the peace of Eyirieyi be upon us). The ceremony reinforces community brotherhood, cultural identity and the values of conviviality and renewal.