Clowns and musicians bring the joy of Carnival to sick children in a Rio hospital
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2025 (272 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — 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 Rio’s Carnival celebrations. They’re 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.
“It’s a really good feeling, because staying in a hospital with a child is tiring,” said Moniky Fernanda de Nazaré Moreira, as she balanced her one-year-old son on her hip. “We need this to cheer the child up – and he loves a bit of a mess, so he had a lot of fun.”
While the trumpet, drum and banjo players played classic Carnival tunes, the clowns sought to create an individual interaction with each child, paying them a kind of attention that for once wasn’t medical.
“It really helps children improve,” said Ioma Rodrigues Klemz, a doctor on the ward. “You see children who are sometimes very withdrawn in bed who start to communicate more, sing, dance,” she added.
The saying goes that laughter is the best medicine, and clown projects in hospitals even bring joy to hospitals in war-torn places such as Ukraine.
The Clown Circle project in Rio offers weekly activities, creating themed performances around calendar events like Carnival.
In Brazil, Carnival officially ended with Ash Wednesday last week, but such technicalities didn’t stop the cheerful group. However, they adapt to the hospital environment, adjusting aspects like volume, explained Julia Schaeffer, a program coordinator.
“That’s what it’s all about; bringing the street party into the hospital for those who can’t be out,” Schaeffer said. “We bring it here with an extra dose of care.”
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america