KEWKEs] HOPI CEREMONIAL CALENDAR 19 



The cereiiiouial year of the Ilopis begins in November with a New- 

 fire ceremon\- which assumes two forms, elaborate and abbi-eviated. 

 The elaborate form, given every fourth j'ear, is very complicated, 

 owing to the initiation of novices into the fraternities. Following 

 this precedent, the rites of the winter solstice (Soyaluna), Fowamu, 

 and Faliilulvoiiti are celebrated in extenso in those years. The elabo- 

 I'ation or abbreviation of the New-tire ceremony, which opens the 

 calendar, thus profoundly atfects all festivals of the remainder of the 

 year. 



There are also several other variations in the calendar, due to 

 the celebration of either the Snake or Flute festival, which alternate 

 with each other. Thus in odd years there is in January an assemblage 

 of the Snake fraternity, while in even years the Flute priests have a 

 meeting in the same month. There are likewise certain minor modi- 

 fications in other ceremonies in those j^ears in which the Flute and 

 Snake ceremonies, respectiveh', are celebrated. 



It must be borne in mind that the Hopis are ignorant of the 

 Roman names of months, January, February, and the like, but these 

 names ai-e introduced in the following pages for convenience in reduc- 

 ing their calendar to our own. Their months often take the names of 

 the ceremonies which occur in them. 



The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, have no 

 equivalents among the Hopi so far as is known. The Hopi year has 

 two divisions, which may be designated that of the named and that of 

 the nameless moons; the former is the cold period, the latter is the 

 warm — roughly speaking, they are winter and summer. These divi- 

 sions ma}' be called the greater and lesser periods, as the former begins- 

 in August and ends in March. In the first occur the greater, in the 

 other the lesser mysteries (see below. Classification of Festivals)^ 

 although this practice is sometimes I'eversed. 



Classification ob^ Festivals 



As has been noted, the ceremonies in the Hoj)i calendar vary in 

 complexity as a result of the initiation of novices into the priesthoods^ 

 which occurs about every four 3'ears. 



In addition to this quadrennial variation there is a lesser and 

 greater celebration of the same festival each year, which are ordi- 

 narily six months apart, the lesser being generally in winter. The 

 adjective ''elal)oratc" will be applied to those quadrennial festivals 

 which are celebrated in extenso, '"abbreviated" being applied to the 

 smaller celebrations in intervening 3'ears: the two j-early presentations- 

 will be kuoM'n as the greater and lesser mysteries. 



