RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) 鈥 Clowns complete with red noses and tutus delivered the joy of Carnival to sick children in a Rio de Janeiro hospital on Tuesday, bringing the ebullient festivities normally found on the streets straight to the young patients and their caregivers.
Street parties, known as blocos, are a fixture of Riosa国际传媒 Carnival celebrations. They鈥檙e raucous, rambunctious romps with thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of partygoers.
The vibrant chaos of Carnival street parties was, of course, unsuitable for sick children, so members of the Clown Circle project brought a gentler celebration to the State Servants Hospital in downtown Rio.
Musicians, clowns and even a standard-bearer danced their way through the corridors decorated with streamers and masks, inviting children, parents, nurses and doctors into a merry dance and moment of celebration.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 a really good feeling, because staying in a hospital with a child is tiring,鈥 said Moniky Fernanda de Nazare虂 Moreira, as she balanced her one-year-old son on her hip. 鈥淲e need this to cheer the child up 鈥 and he loves a bit of a mess, so he had a lot of fun.鈥
While the trumpet, drum and banjo players played , the clowns sought to create an individual interaction with each child, paying them a kind of attention that for once wasn鈥檛 medical.
鈥淚t really helps children improve,鈥 said Ioma Rodrigues Klemz, a doctor on the ward. 鈥淵ou see children who are sometimes very withdrawn in bed who start to communicate more, sing, dance,鈥 she added.
The saying goes that laughter is the best medicine, and clown projects in hospitals even bring joy to hospitals .
The Clown Circle project in Rio offers weekly activities, creating themed performances around calendar events like Carnival.
In , Carnival officially ended with Ash Wednesday last week, but such technicalities didn鈥檛 stop the cheerful group. However, they adapt to the hospital environment, adjusting aspects like volume, explained Julia Schaeffer, a program coordinator.
鈥淭hatsa国际传媒 what itsa国际传媒 all about; bringing the street party into the hospital for those who can鈥檛 be out," Schaeffer said. 鈥淲e bring it here with an extra dose of care.鈥
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