Brazil is known for its vibrant cultures and the samba is amongst the most well-known; Samba de Roda, a festival event from Bahia, is recognised as a unique art form in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Samba derives from the colonial period in Brazil’s history. At its foundation are the traditions and cultures of enslaved Africans as you can read about in this article. The Portuguese brought Christian events, such as Lent (with its own history), and this in turn became what is now Rio’s Carnival with the accompanying samba.
The costumes of Carnival are fantastic and fantastical. This article tells a little of the story of how they came to be what they are today, while this one looks at how freedom and rebellion affects the evolution of the outfits. Traditional Samba outfits are not quite as extravagant because they are meant to be worn over and over again; Carnival costumes are only worn once, as this article explains.
In Brazil, specialist “schools” teach the art and craft of Samba. These cultural organisations are the lifeblood of communities and neighbourhoods, and are economically and socially important because they rehearse for annual carnival events.
So, as Spring returns to the Southern Hemisphere and winter retreats, let’s SAMBA!
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