The symbolic art of witchcraft paper-cutting in Chinese folk paper-cutting
Witchcraft has been an important part of folk customs from ancient times to the present. Witchcraft paper-cutting reflects folk customs with its profound symbolic meaning. In witchcraft paper-cutting, paper-cutting symbols serve as a symbolic channel to communicate between heaven, earth and man. People "are trying to exert influence on people or things with the help of supernatural and mysterious power." Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Peng Ya Xing": "It is already dark when the guests are invited, and the lanterns are opened to open the heavy doors. I wash my feet with warm water and cut paper. Summon my soul." The custom of paper-cutting to summon souls was still popular in the Ming Dynasty. Song Lian, a writer in the early Ming Dynasty, also wrote a poem "Ai Yu Wang Shi" as evidence: "It is difficult to summon the soul of the censor by cutting paper." Even in modern society, witchcraft paper-cutting still exists in some remote villages. The image of the Momo god in the Manchu paper-cutting in Changbai Mountain includes the Momo god who is responsible for summoning spirits. These Momo gods are generally dressed in Manchu attire, standing frontally, with hands hanging down.
In Longdong and Northern Shaanxi paper-cuts, there are "grabbing dolls", which are considered to be omnipotent. In the original paper-cutting, they have two chickens on their heads, holding a bird (chicken) in one hand and a bird in the other. Lift the rabbit (tiger). "Zhuji doll" originally refers to the union of men and women, sun and moon, yin and yang, etc., and has the meaning of reproductive worship. However, when its function was extended to witchcraft, "Zhuji doll" came into being. "Variations of ", which have the meaning of witchcraft, such as the "sick doll" in central and western Shaanxi Guanxi, this kind of paper-cut is to cut a horseman or flying man, the horse and the flying man (bird) are masculine, the western and southeastern Guanxi and Longnan It is the center of the "Baima Qiang" activities of the ancient Qiang people, with Baima as one of their ancestral gods. Riding a horse to summon spirits is one of the characteristics of the people in this area who call upon the sick to summon spirits and grab bun dolls. It means praying to the gods to take off on horseback and quickly summon spirits to possess them and cure diseases quickly. The family members took the paper figures and circled them around the patient, while chanting: "I will give you lightness on my head, lightness on my body, and I will give you lightness on my body. I will give it away and disappear, and the disease will never happen again." After saying this, the paper was burned. , throw it into the water bowl, and then pour the water on the crossroads to send away the evil spirits and summon the souls back.. Longdong Zhenyuan also has a paper man holding a horse to summon souls, which is also a symbol of the quick return of souls.
Qianyang folk custom: If a woman does not give birth to a child, or if she does not survive after giving birth to a child, she must ask a professional wizard, Mr. Yin and Yang, to perform the "bed-making" witchcraft, which involves cutting a string of 7 people holding hands. Stick it on the door to ward off evil spirits and protect your children and grandchildren. Henan Lingbaos "Sick Dolls" are two bun dolls holding a peach in one hand and a knife in the other. When a male baby is sick, he or she will get a boy-themed paper-cut, and when a girl is sick, she will get a girl-themed paper-cut pattern. . If the illness is about to be cured, make a doll with two people carrying a pomegranate and a knife in one hand. The local woman said: "Peach is to get rid of evil spirits, and the knife is to curse people. Whoever makes his child sick will be cursed, and whoever comes to ask for it will be cut. If the illness becomes serious, pomegranates will be cut. Carry the pomegranate with both hands." The disease is about to be cured." These paper-cuts appear in witchcraft activities. Those that exorcise evil spirits and cure diseases are called "sick dolls", and those that summon frightened spirits are called "soul-calling dolls". They all have profound symbolic meanings.
In this type of paper-cutting, the paper-cut image of "Sweeping Lady" is also common. "Sweeping Lady" usually cuts a female figure holding a broom in her hand. In Shanxi, people hang the paper-cuts on a broom, stand on the grinding eye of a stone mill, and sweep toward the sky. In Henan, it is common to hang paper cuts on branches and let them sway in the wind. Use this to talk to the sky, hoping that God will stop the rain and clear up the sky, and avoid rain and waterlogging.
