Folklore events in Shaanxi traditional folk paper-cutting
As the basis of folk art modeling, Shaanxi traditional paper-cutting has become a representative work of folk art products because of its wide popularity and easy operation. Starting from traditional paper-cutting, you can learn more about the folklore hidden behind it, and on the contrary, you will have a deeper understanding of the shape. Folklore is a special cultural phenomenon. The emergence of folklore is a human understanding of social life. In ancient times, human productivity was low, and the main way of survival was to rely on nature. Therefore, under the ignorant consciousness, human beings developed the concept of animistic nature worship, and then produced witchcraft, deification and religion, thus forming the ancient times. folk activities. As human social production shifted from fishing and hunting to farming, customs began to appear during the year, and sacrificial activities gradually became more widespread. People longed for a good harvest and prayed for peace. The richness of social life led to the richness of folk customs. From ancient times to modern times, peoples daily affairs such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation have gradually become an important part of peoples folk activities. Many important daily customs revolve around human life. Aspects such as diet, clothing, residence, age, seasons, etiquette, weddings and funerals, entertainment, commerce and trade, etc., have also formed their own corresponding customs with the changes in social life and social production. Various folk art shapes are produced from this colorful and diverse folk affairs.
Paper-cutting belongs to the decoration category among many folk art styles. Today it seems to be a purely decorative art. In fact, their emergence and development actually have obvious folk utilitarian purposes. As early as the Han Dynasty, Chinese folk women had the custom of using gold foil, silver foil and colored silk to cut into the shapes of flowers and birds and paste them on their temples as ornaments. Five group-flower paper-cuts including "Dui Ma" from the Northern Dynasty (386-581 AD) unearthed at the Gaochang site in Turpan, Xinjiang are also the earliest paper-cut objects in my country. It was unearthed from tombs as a funerary object for the deceased, and may have been used to pay homage to ghosts and gods and comfort the soul. It seems that the practical functions of paper-cutting have been greatly broadened. Li Shangyin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem "People Say" that "the work of carving gold will spread the customs of Jing Dynasty, and cutting the ribbon will inspire the style of Jin for people." Du Fu wrote in "Peng Yuyan": "Warm soup fills my feet, paper cutting awakens my soul." The poet appreciates folk art and reachesThe level of fascination shows that the paper-cutting skills at that time were quite advanced. The paper-cutting industry and its famous artists had already appeared in the Song Dynasty. It is recorded in "Old Martial Arts" that "since the tenth month of the capital, brocade calendars have been sold inside and outside Chaotianmen... Jincai carved flowers, spring stickers, Yisheng and the like are very popular in the market. Prosperity." From various historical records, we can know that paper-cutting as a folk art form has long entered the homes of ordinary people.
Shaanxi paper-cutting is updated with different festivals. Every 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month, every household has to clean their houses and courtyards. Granny, young daughters-in-law, and eldest girls all pick up scissors to make them for the New Year. Paper cuttings such as: window flowers, door paper, wall flowers, ceiling flowers, kang surround flowers, etc., and posted on the door, windows, and rooms, complementing the door gods, spring couplets, peach charms, and New Year pictures, dress up the Spring Festival with joy; hanging paper cuttings are also They are called wedding notes and hanging notes, and are hung on the stove horse, the door or the gods head. They are arranged in threes and fives in different sizes. They have the meaning of dispelling evil and attracting wealth, and adding a festive atmosphere to the festival; the form of door flowers is as follows: The original "Yuken" and "Shencha" became "Jingde" and "Qinqiong". During the Chinese New Year, they will be replaced with new ones and posted outside the door to avoid evil spirits. Most of the windows in Shaanxi are small partitions, so the size of the window grilles is initially It depends on the size and shape of the window pane. There are various patterns such as turning flowers, window corner flowers, and window clouds. The turn flower is cut into four pieces, one for each of the four panes, formed into a circle, and attached to the center of the window to serve as a central decoration. Window corner flowers are affixed to the corners of the windows. Window clouds are a carefully designed overall pattern on a thirty-six-pane window. The outermost circle of the window is affixed with the same lace on each side, a larger turn lace or window grille is affixed in the center, and then small window grilles are symmetrically affixed around it. Windows are a stage for displaying the art of paper-cutting. The themes are very rich, so window flowers often become synonymous with folk paper-cutting. Kang surround flowers, wall flowers, and ceiling flowers are important means of decorating rooms in rural Shaanxi. Their compositions are generally arranged in a uniform and symmetrical manner. , shapes vary in size, and the contrast between traditional and simple is comprehensively used. Generally, it is not restricted by color configuration and size, and the form is relatively free. The lines are usually thicker for easier application. Pay attention to the continuous pieces of flowers surrounding the kang, so that they can prevent dust. Most of the ceiling flowers are cut into symmetrical flower shapes to create a radiating feeling on the roof, which can better welcome and create a festive atmosphere.
In rural areas of Shaanxi, the wedding flowers posted in the bridal chamber of newlyweds are called "tenant flowers". There are also rules for affixing flowers to the sitting tent, which are usually posted outside the window or in the center of the kang; they can be posted in pairs rather than single, or they can be posted with a picture of two people on the same bed. There are various patterns, including lotus, peach, pomegranate, money, fish, cornucopia, etc. The shapes include square, round, and rectangular, and each one has its own explanation. For example: "The fairy peach brings the lotus, and the whole family has a destiny", "The noble son of the lotus twists, and the young couple can live ninety-nine." and so on.
ShaanxiPeople in western China, especially in northern Shaanxi, have "scratching bun dolls" that are considered omnipotent. In the paper-cut patterns, they either have double buns on their hair, or two chickens on their heads, or they wear human Teng (male yang) on ??their heads, holding a bird (rooster) in one hand and a rabbit (tiger) in the other. They appear in various witchcraft activities. Those that frighten and summon spirits are called "soul-calling dolls"; those that ward off evil spirits and cure illnesses are called "sick dolls"; those that hold ancient coins in one hand and fire in the other to attract wealth and excite demons are called "money-grabbing dolls"; there are also rare ones with double heads. The "scratching bun doll" with horns is a god who exorcises evil spirits and suppresses demons, and helps revive life. The witchcraft rituals include: on the twenty-third day of the first lunar month, superstitious people build a fire in their yard, and the whole family jumps into the fire to burn sores. They cut a string of paper figures out of yellow paper and throw them into the fire to eliminate sores throughout the year.
In addition, if there is continuous rain or bad weather in Shaanxi, you will have to cut your hands
