Ansai paper-cut window decoration
People in northern Shaanxi love to live in cave dwellings, and Ansai people are no exception. It is the antique window panes placed on the cave dwellings that give Ansai paper-cutting a space to display artistic beauty. Every New Year, every household in Ansai County will put on new white window paper, and then paste various red and green window grilles symmetrically on the wooden window panes, or cleverly match them, to dress the windows in the spirit of spring. Exuberant and full of vitality.
In the cave dwelling, the simple and lovely tiger-head shoes, Kang stone lions, and bed sheets with big peonies complement each other and blend together with the honest and cheerful Ansai people. The aunts and uncles gathered together to comment on the cut window decorations and couldn't put them down. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese people. It is also the best time for Ansai women to show their artistic talents. Every household seems to be showing off their paper-cutting skills to each other. People generally believe that a woman who cuts window grilles is naturally smart, and the children she will give birth to will also be smart. Therefore, in the first month of the first month, mothers-in-law and women visit each other to look at the window decorations. They can tell which mother-in-law is smart and which woman is spiritual. During the Chinese New Year, the paper-cutting contents are mostly about good luck and good luck, the twelve zodiac animals, the lions that protect peace and suppress evil, and various labor scenes. For example, the work "Cow Plowing Picture" by the famous paper-cut artist Bai Fenglan is a masterpiece that truly records peoples lives.
This picture of cattle plowing is almost the same as the picture of cattle plowing on the Han Dynasty portrait brick. The author of the paper-cutting is illiterate and has never read a book. Of course, it is impossible to see the rubbings of Han Dynasty portrait bricks from some historical materials. However, the work she cut out coincided with the Han portrait bricks. This can not but be said to be a miracle! However, as mentioned before, the reason is caused by historical reasons unique to Ansai. The long history, political, economic, and military prosperity have led to the rapid development of traditional culture, and the art of needlework, embroidery, and paper-cutting has become extremely popular. The elderly, children, mothers-in-law and women can all describe the paper-cutting style with the wave of their hands. Even when getting married in rural areas, the brides skill is judged by the quality of the paper-cutting. "The luck of the bride depends on whether the paper-cut is good or not." It is natural that Bai Fenglians paper-cutting retains and inherits these traditional ancient habits and customs.
