Blessingway (Hozhooji)
The central Navajo ceremony of blessing, invoking beauty, harmony, and good fortune (hozho).
The Blessingway has no calendar date. It is held when needed, usually over two nights, for occasions such as a new home, a pregnancy, a marriage, or a girl's Kinaalda, and a Blessingway rite also closes other ceremonies.
When Is Blessingway (Hozhooji)?
The Blessingway has no calendar date. It is held when needed, usually over two nights, for occasions such as a new home, a pregnancy, a marriage, or a girl's Kinaalda, and a Blessingway rite also closes other ceremonies.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
The Blessingway (Hozhooji) is a Navajo ceremony of blessing rather than curing. It invokes hozho, beauty, balance, and harmony, for protection, good hope, and good fortune, for example for an expectant mother, a new home, or a person setting out on a journey. It is often described as the backbone of Navajo ceremonial life, and Blessingway songs close many other ceremonies.
How It Is Observed
A two-night ceremony led by a hataalii (singer), with Blessingway songs and prayers and blessings with corn pollen. Many details are sacred and are shared only within the ceremony.