Here is a compilation of all the feast days & celebration days that have I put together from various sources over the years and with input from many friends and acquaintances in NM/AZ. I have put them in this post for others to enjoy along with map links. If a date/description is wrong, please email or comment and I will correct this post. Enjoy!
– Dom
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Yearly Southwest Native Celebration Days
- Jan 1 Most Pueblos: Various dances, Transfer of Canes of Authority.
- Jan 6 Most Pueblos: King’s Day Celebration in honor of new tribal officers, Antelope, Buffalo, Deer dances
- Jan 22 San Ildefonso Pueblo: Evening Firelight Dances
- Jan 23 San Ildefonso Pueblo: Feast Day, Comanche, Buffalo and Deer dances throughout the day
- Jan 25 Picuris Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo): St Paul’s Feast Day
- Feb 2 Picuris Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo: Candelaria Day Celebration
- 1st Weekend of Feb – Tohono O’odham Rodeo & Fair in Sells, AZ
- 2nd Week of Feb Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo): Deer dances
- 3rd Weekend of Feb – Tohono O’odham Tash in Sells, AZ
- 2nd Weekend in Mar – Tohono O’odham Pow Wow in Sells, AZ
- Mar 19 Laguna Pueblo: Saint Joseph’s Feast Day, Harvest dances
- Easter Weekend: Dances at most pueblos
- Late April – Annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow
- May 1 San Felipe Pueblo: Feast Day
- May 2 Acoma Pueblo: Santa Maria Feast Day
- May 3 Taos Pueblo: Traditional foot races
- May 8 Jemez Pueblo: Giusewa Pow wow, at Jemez State Monument
- Last Sat in May – Native American Community Academy (NACA) Pow Wow in Albuquerque (May 29, 2010)
- June 5 Tesuque Pueblo: Blessing of the Fields
- June 13 Picuris, Sandia, San Idlefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara and Taos Pueblos: St Anthony Feast Day, Comanche, and/or Corn dances
- June 19 20 Picuris Pueblo: High Country Arts & Crafts Festival
- June 23 Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo): Vespers, foot race and Buffalo dance
- June 24 Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo): Feast Day. Comanche/Buffalo dance; Taos Pueblo: Corn dance
- June 29 Kewa Pueblo (Santa Domingo Pueblo): Corn dances. San Pedro Feast Day
- July 4 Nambe Pueblo Falls Celebration; Mescalero Apache maiden’s puberty rites and Mountain Spirits Dance at Mescalero, NM.
- July 9-11 Taos Pueblo: Annual Pow-Wow
- July 14 Cochiti Pueblo: Feast Day
- July 15-18 Jicarilla Apache Little Beaver Roundup & Rodeo.
- July 17-18 Northern Pueblo Artist and Craftsman Show
- July 25-26 San Ildefonso and Taos Pueblos: Santiago’s and Santa Ana Day Dances
- July 26 Santa Ana Pueblo: Feast Day – Corn Dance; Laguna Pueblo – Harvest & various Dances at the Village of Seama
- Aug 2 Jemez Pueblo: Feast Day
- Aug 4 Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo Pueblo): Feast Day
- Aug 9 Picuris Pueblo: Sunset Dances
- Aug 10 Acoma Pueblo: San Lorenzo Feast Day; various dances and pole climbing at Picuris Pueblo
- Aug 12 Santa Clara Feast Day; various dances
- Aug 15 Laguna Pueblo: Assumption of Blessed Mother Feast Day; Zia Pueblo Feast Day
- Late Aug – Santa Fe Indian Market
- Aug 28-29 Zuni Tribal Fair
- First week in Sep, Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, AZ
- Sep 2 Acoma Pueblo: San Estevan Feast Day
- Sep 4 Isleta Pueblo: San Augustine Feast Day
- Sep 5 San Ildefonso Pueblo: Nativity of Mary Feast Day, Corn Dances; Laguna Pueblo: , Harvest Dances
- Sep 8 Laguna Pueblo (Encinal Village): Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast Day: Social Dances; San Ildefonso Pueblo: Corn Dances
- Sep 19 Laguna Pueblo: San Joseph’s Feast Day
- Sep 25 Laguna Pueblo: St Elizabeth Feast Day (Paguate Village)
- Sep 29 Taos Pueblo: San Geronimo Eve, vespers and Sundown dance
- Sep 30 Taos Pueblo: San Geronimo Feast Day; trade fair, pole climbing and early morning races
- First week in Oct, Northern Navajo Nation Fair in Shiprock, NM
- Oct 3-4 Nambe Pueblo: St Francis Feast Day, various dances
- Oct 4-12 Albq Int’l Balloon Fiesta. Traditional dances, youth pow-wow, crowning of Lil’ Miss IPCC at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Abq
- Oct 17 Laguna Pueblo: St Margaret Mary Feast Day (Paraje Village)
- Nov 12 Jemez Pueblo Feast Day; Tesuque Pueblo: San Diego Feast Day, various dances.
- Last Week in Nov. Christmas Light Parade at Zuni Pueblo.
- First Week in Dec, Shalako at Zuni Pueblo
- Dec 12 Pojoaque Pueblo: Guadalupe Feast Day Jemez Pueblo; various dances
- Dec 24 Sundown torchlight Procession of the Virgin, Vespers and Matachines Dances at Taos, Picuris and San Juan Pueblos; Acoma Pueblo luminarias and dances; Mass and dances at Laguna, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Tesuque Pueblos
- Dec 25 Matachines and various dances at Laguna, Picuris, San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, San Juan, Tesuque, Taos and Zia Pueblos
- Dec 26 Turtle Dance at San Juan Pueblo; various dances at Santo Domingo Pueblo
- Dec 28 Holy Innocents Day; children’s dances at Santa Clara and Picuris Pueblos
Maps to the Feast Day Locations & Celebration Places
- Acoma Pueblo
- Cochiti Pueblo
- Isleta Pueblo
- Jemez Pueblo
- Laguna Pueblo
- Nambe Pueblo
- Picuris Pueblo
- Pojoaque Pueblo
- San Felipe Pueblo
- San Ildefonso Pueblo
- Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo)
- Sandia Pueblo
- Santa Ana Pueblo
- Santa Clara Pueblo
- Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo Pueblo)
- Taos Pueblo
- Tesuque Pueblo
- Zia Pueblo
- Zuni Pueblo
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has a nice page on etiquette when visiting any of the tribal communities. Please take the time to read this important document.
Dominic Pruitt 