The Iria, or The Tying of the Wrapper Ceremony, is celebrated to enlighten and empower Ibani women in the Opobo Kingdom, Nigeria. To highlight this age-old tradition, a virtual 3D experience called Iria was created, allowing users to explore the celebration. 

The experience begins in the fattening room, where the Iriabo (celebrant) stays for seven days. During this time, she is educated on her roles as a mother and wife, learning how to care for her home. Alongside this education, she receives beauty treatments and enjoys traditional meals to prepare for marriage. In the Iria experience, objects and meals are interactive, providing information when clicked on. 

Following her time in the fattening room, the celebrant is allowed to go out and, for two days, wears a total of nine outfits to celebrate with family and friends her transition to a full Opobo woman. This celebration takes place in her father’s compound, and the outfits include wrappers, giving the ceremony its name. In the virtual Iria experience, a wrapper changing room is modelled where users can view and learn about these nine outfits by hovering over them. 

The experience also features a selection of traditional songs that can be shuffled and a video of the traditional dance, offering full immersion. The celebration extends beyond the compound, as the celebrant is carried by four men in matching wrappers through the town. The virtual experience includes the bell and old palace monument in Opobo, showcasing the locations where the celebrant and her family parade to demonstrate her status as a full Opobo woman.

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