Traditionally, Igbo week consists of four days, which is normally the four market days, and the four market days are: Eke (eke), Orie (orie), Afo (afo), Nkwo (nkwo). According to Emma Nnadi, Nri Kingdom, Market days in Igbo land are very significant so much so that the four market days I mentioned above are uniformly observed within every community in Igbo land. It was during reign of Eze Nrijiofor 1 (1300-1390AD), the fifth Eze Nri in the line of succession that Igbo tradition of four market days was instituted. Market day is known as ubochi ahia or alternatively can be said ahia eke, ahia orie, ahia afo, ahia nkwo. Or in many cases, many people use ubochi ahia eke, ubochi ahia orie, ubochi ahia afo, ubochi ahia nkwo. Every town in Igbo Land has its own market day. For example, Umuaka town might have their market day as Eke, while Akpala town has its own market day as Orie. Amaike town might have their own market day as Afo, and Uloise town has its market day as Nkwo. Therefore before the supermarkets, malls, shops or shopping centres established, if say for example, today is Afo market day, it means everybody including traders from Umuaka, Akpala and Uloise towns will be heading to Amaike town market to sell or buy all they require. Likewise, if today for an example is Eke market, it means everybody from Amaike, Akpala and Uloise towns will be heading to Umuaka to sell their produce and buy what they need. To buy and sell would mean that people who produced more yams in their farms may sell or exchange their yams for something else or sell their yams to have money to buy oil or meat in the market. Likewise, people who grew a lot of vegetables may want to sell them to buy yam, fish or other items in the market. Traditionally, this is how people in Igbo Land used to live in those days, although it still goes on now but not as many people used to rely on them as with back then. Then rotation of market days - meant that if a person is not too well or not strong enough to travel to different markets every day, the person will have to wait for three days when it will be the turn of his or her local market to open, so that he or she can buy or sell. The markets start normally very early in the morning till midday or so. Therefore, Igbo market days are Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo, which still exist today and used by many traders and others wishing to buy or sell. Sometime people may use market days as a figure of speech - like for example, come to my house after Nkwo market day. Although some buyers and sellers do use trade by barter in the olden days but majority use money especially nowadays to buy and sell their goods. These days, major big companies and banks have established themselves around those marketplaces. This is to be able to offer their services to trades. In Igbo language, money is called ego. And the bank where money is kept is called ụlọ ego. The paper money or the bank note is called akwụkwọ ego. And the coins or money coins is called aghirigha ego. Money to buy items in the market is called ego ahia or even may mean money to be used in the market. In Igbo language agara mụ ahia means I went to the market zuta means to buy ihe means something or item zuta ihe means buy something zuputara means buy something for someone zutara mụ ihe means buy something for me azutara gị ihe means I bought something for you. re means sell or re ihe means sell something achọrọ mụ izu means I want to buy kwe ọnu means price it or say your price o di ọnu means the price is high o di mma means it is okay as it may mean that the price or so is okay o di ọnu mma means the price is okay kwuo ugwo or kwuo ego means pay or pay what you owe or pay money In this section you have learnt the following: achọrọ mụ izu Afo agara mụ ahia aghirigha ego ego ahia ahia ahia afo ahia eke ahia nkwo ahia orie akwụkwọ ego azutara gị ihe Eke kwe ọnu Nkwo o di mma o di ọnu o di ọnu mma Orie re re ihe ubochi ahia ubochi ahia afo ubochi ahia eke ubochi ahia nkwo ubochi ahia orie ụlọ ego zuputara zuta zuta ihe zutara mụ ihe

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