We know of three important ritual celebrations at Ácoma: namely, the Fiesta of San Estévan, patron saint of the mission and now of the pueblo, on September 2; that of All Souls’ Day; and the winter solstice rites, commingled with Christmas. A fourth that occurs at the time of the summer solstice, on San Juan’s Day, June 24, is in most pueblos an occasion of serious and elaborate ritual, but at Ácoma it is so much more like a madcap race and game that it is described in the chapter on games. All festivities are announced by the town crier some days in advance. It is worth noting that, though the days for both of the solstice ceremonials are appointed by the head _cheani_, called together by the war captains, it is evident that they are determined by the observation of the sun’s “turning back” in June, from which moment six moons are counted. In fact, the only reckoning of time is by the moons from solstice to solstice. In some tribes each month has its poetic name, derived from the appearance of the moon. Of all investigators, the one who has best succeeded in giving us some hints about their present ritual customs and beliefs is Dr. Parsons.[234] All who are interested in making more than the most superficial acquaintance with Ácoma rituals should consult her printed articles.[235] Professor Espinosa has also collected a valuable number of folk-tales and anthropological data. To these two sources the writer acknowledges her great indebtedness for the facts given in this section of the study. Dr. Parsons went to Ácoma in January, 1917, accompanied by a native Zuñi who knew her well and who had relatives at Ácoma. Even with such an introduction, and though she was hospitably entertained by an Ácoma household, she had “to contend against extreme distrust of the whites,” and with much difficulty finally differentiated herself from “the ordinary picture-taking tourist.” But their special aversion was to any representative of the national government “from whom every ceremonial or detail of life is to be hidden.” So that even after they had begun to trust Dr. Parsons, the story-teller of the moment would break off suddenly at a critical point to be reassured that none of what he had said would be forwarded to Washington. Of a second visit in 1918, Dr. Parsons says, by way of preface, that “information is so difficult to get that, fragmentary as it is, it should be presented,” both for its own value and because the only way to learn something from the Pueblo Indian is to know something beforehand.