In the Katsina ceremonies, an annual cycle of ritual performances timed to specific events in the lunisolar calendar, Hopi performers embody benevolent spirit messengers called katsinam. The katsinam—⁠—of which there are over 250 different types, representing various beings from animals to clouds—⁠—visit their people in physical form for six months of the year, singing and dancing in ceremonies, to bring gifts and teach appropriate behavior.

Public performances occur in the plazas of Hopi villages, where spectators, including residents and guests, watch from the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. The more private sacred activities are performed indoors in underground kivas, circular ceremonial chambers used for rites and political meetings.