Brazil, on the opposite side of the globe from Korea, hosts the Rio Carnival every year—a festival so vast in scale, preparation, and the crowds it attracts that it’s often described as the largest celebration in the world. Audiences are captivated by its powerful rhythms, passionate dances, and spectacular parades that unfold in long, sweeping sequences. Yet behind this dazzling display—so overwhelming to the senses—lies a story that is far less familiar.
At the heart of the Carnival is samba, a music- and dance-centered tradition that once comforted and uplifted enslaved Africans who were brought to work on Brazilian plantations. Rooted in the suffering and resilience of these slaves, samba developed into a rich cultural expression that eventually developed into the competitive parade format of today’s Rio Carnival, organized by samba schools that carry on samba’s heritage in their respective communities.

In 2025, the National Folk Museum of Korea engaged in research and collection efforts focusing on Estação Primeira de Mangueira, a samba school in Rio de Janeiro with more than a century of history. As one of Brazil’s most renowned samba institutions, Mangueira offers an especially meaningful window into the Rio Carnival—an event that powerfully reflects Brazilian culture.
The museum’s interest in festivals stems from their unique nature: they emerge from the particular ways of life of a community, incorporate artistic expression, and reveal both the universal and distinctive dimensions of culture. In an age when advanced technologies allow communication beyond physical boundaries and make encounters with global cultures increasingly common, the National Folk Museum of Korea is preparing to become an institution that fosters deeper intercultural understanding.
“World Seen through the Storage: Brazil” marks the first exhibition in this new series. It features costumes, instruments, components of parade floats, and other materials used by Mangueira in the 2025 Rio Carnival. We hope you look forward to future world folklore exhibitions presented by the National Folk Museum of Korea.

Samba schools are community-based organizations that preserve samba traditions through music and dance practices and participation in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. They also contribute to society in other ways, such as running educational programs for local residents and providing spaces for cultural activities and leisure. Estação Primeira de Mangueira (Mangueira Samba School), founded in 1928, is one of Brazil’s leading samba schools, winning a remarkable 20 championships at the Rio Carnival, to whose development it has contributed through its powerful social messages, its representation of community voices, and its creative artistic direction.