Heliopolis Elderly Center

At the Projeto Velho Amigo Elderly Center we celebrated "Festa Junina" on June 19th. Our Senior ladies practiced the typical dances and prepared a party honoring their community.

Seniors were treated to typical Brazilian food, and dressed up like farmers, they enjoyed the festivities and danced the quadrilha (square dancing). After Carnival, Festa Junina, is the second most important popular celebration in Brazilian culture.

Festa Junina is the term used to describe the traditional festivities that happen at the beginning of the Brazilian winter in June. It is a month to honor rain, the harvest season and marital union.

Quadrilha (square dances) folk dances are a vital component of Festa Junina. The dances at the center were organized with 45 colorfully dressed Seniors, they chose a ‘bride and groom’ to act as the center of the spectacle.

The senior ladies practiced with a teacher from Projeto Velho Amigo for one month to prepare the show which was inspired by 17th-century French quadrilles! Everyone participated by singing traditional songs and dancing! The party was vibrant and highly convivial, the jovial dances were without a doubt the highlight of the Projeto Velho Amigo Festa Junina for the Senior Citizens.

We want to thank you for your continued donations and for helping us make a difference inside one of Sao Paulo's largest favelas. This project is a lifeline for so many of these women they feel alive when they come to the center!

Thanks to the activities offered at the center these women are able to fight depression, improve memory, reduce stress, improve sleep and delay cognitive decline. Please help us keep this project alive with your continued help, support and interest!!!