Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer explains that primarily a holiday for and about women, Navaratri celebrates some of the key goddesses in the Hindo pantheon. The writer notes that the holiday lasts for nine full days and nights, and Navaratri literally means "nine nights." The writer discusses that caring for Hindu worshippers during Navaratri poses little ideological conflict and that patients celebrating Navaratri may be able to easily integrate traditional Hindu concepts with modern medicine. The writer maintains that Navaratri can therefore be a tremendous opportunity for enhancing cultural competence. The nine-day celebration focuses on women, too, which offers health care workers and patients the chance to explore their views on gender. The writer concludes that the philosophical principles behind the celebration of Navaratri are entirely compatible with health and healing.

From the Paper:

"Health care workers can and should familiarize themselves with the Hindu holiday to maximize patient comfort and compliance. However, the holiday is celebrated differently depending on where the patient is from in India. Indians from West Bengal are more likely to worship intensely during the last several days of Navaratri. Some patients may want to fast at some point during the festival; others might want to eat special sweets or say special prayers. So long as fasting and the consumption of small amounts of sweets do not interfere with the patient's overall health then doctors and nurses should permit any and all forms of worship during Navaratri."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Cultural Competence." (nd). Transcultural Nursing. Retrieved Oct 2, 2008 from http://www.culturediversity.org/cultcomp.htm
• Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (nd). "Navaratri Festival Campaign." Retrieved Oct 2, 2008 from http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/festivals/navaratri/
• "Navaratri." (nd). Retrieved Oct 2, 2008 from http://library.thinkquest.org/11719/vasishtfiles/navaratri.html
• Rajhans, S.G. (nd). "Navaratri: The 9 Divine Nights." Retrieved Oct 2, 2008 from http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/navaratri.htm

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