Shaanxi folk paper-cut themes
In terms of subject matter, the most common ones are people, objects or scenes in real life, as well as ancient stories or characters. For example: ordinary people plowing the fields, carrying water, grinding flour, spinning threads, harvesting in autumn, going to the market, returning to their parents' homes and other life scenes. The worship of life is the theme of folk paper-cutting. Striving for survival and reproduction are basic human concepts. As an important part of life worship, reproductive worship is an eternal theme of the entire human folk culture and art. In Shaanxi, especially in the vast rural areas of northern Shaanxi, you can see many auspicious paper-cuts plastered all over the new house when you get married, which the locals call "happy flowers". It has various forms, but always revolves around the theme of life worship. It covers everything from falling in love to getting married and having children, but the form is extremely subtle. The color of happy flowers is generally red, and the main patterns include "Red Double Happiness", "Snake and Rabbit", "Lotus", etc.
In ancient times, chicken and bird were synonymous. They were representatives of the sun and were masculine. The image of the chicken in the paper-cut represents masculinity. The doll catches the bird (chicken) with one hand and the rabbit with the other. It is called the chicken-catching doll or the animal-catching doll. The connotation is that it catches the sun with one hand and the moon with the other. The combination of yin and yang creates human beings. At the same time, It also means to ward off evil spirits and drive away disasters. The monkey also represents the masculine gender. Before a girl gets married, her sister-in-law makes a monkey cloth and secretly sends it to her. The girl is not allowed to show it to others, and she takes it to her husbands family only after she gets married. This is a more implicit pre-marital sex education. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the paper-cut connotation of chicken eating cabbage, chicken pecking grain, and monkey eating peach.
The "bowl", which symbolizes the prosperity of descendants, is a wedding ritual that began in the Zhou Dynasty. It involves cutting a melon into two scoop shapes, and the newlyweds each hold one and drink face to face. Why must melons be used to hold wine for couples to drink together? Melons are gourds, which are vines and have strong vitality. Later generations called the marriage of men and women "henu". There is also a kind of paper-cutting that expresses the worship of reproduction through animal images, such as toads, frogs, etc. As a female symbol, the frog or toad entered the mythological thinking of the Chinese nation around the time of the patriarchal clan society. In the Chinese concept, the moon is yin, so the frog (toad) occupies the moon palace. There is such a record in the literature, "ChangE, Yis wife, stole the immortal medicine of the Queen Mother of the West and took it, flying to the moon. Chang'e then held herself up on the moon and became a toad spider. "This myth further demonstrates the intention of Chinas primitive ancestors to embrace nature through cultural creation methods.
Fish, as the original image in traditional Chinese culture, has gone through tens of thousands of years of development and change. Mr. Wen Yiduo has long asserted, "Because fish has the strongest fecundity, it is directly related to primitive humans' worship of reproduction and emphasis on racial reproduction." "Just as fish is a lingo for mates, fishing, fishing and other behaviors are lingo for courtship. ." In northern Shaanxi, the image of fish still clearly reflects the ancient connotation. Fish are mostly related to the relationship between men and women, sex, and reproduction. Fish and lotus are inseparable, and lotus and seed are inseparable. The result of the fish biting the pod and stringing the lotus caused the lotus to give birth to a son, and a new life was born. The prototype of the ancient Chinese Tai Chi diagram is the intersection of Pisces. When the two fishes intersect, children will be born, and the descendants will continue and life will continue. "Lotus" is homophonic with "love" and "pity", and is originally a symbol of love. Lotus and fish are symbols of spouses. Although the association is caused by their inseparable natural situation, the lotus is extended to be a symbol of women among the people.
The paper-cut pattern of a bird and a bird is also a common style in folk paper-cutting. The most famous themes in paper-cutting in Guanzhong, Shaanxi Province are "Egret Visiting the Lotus", in which the egret stretches its head and neck towards the center of the flower, which is a real visit; "Egret Climbing the Lotus", in which the egret stands on the lotus, showing a proud look of possession. "Egret and mandarin duck making noise in the lotus", the egret and mandarin duck are dancing under the flowers, holding lotus leaves or lotus stems in their mouths; "egret and mandarin duck lying on the lotus", looking at peace and contentment.
There are many themes for paper-cut hanging notes, mainly including the themes of "universal celebration", "everything is renewed", "congratulations on the new year", "five blessings coming to the door", "more than one year after another", "safety in all seasons", as well as blessing, fortune, longevity and happiness. , wealth and other auspicious words. There are also decorative patterns in the center of the hanging paper, which folk artists call "Tangzi". The patterns are mostly birds, animals, insects, fish, flowers, fruits, eight immortals, three stars of good fortune, longevity and longevity. Patterns and colors express peoples pursuit of beauty and yearning for a happy life through homophonic, symbolic, and allegorical techniques.
The image of tiger is also common in folk paper-cutting. There are two types of tigers. One is the chubby and cute "Ai (love) tiger", which can protect the safety of dolls. The other is the "Xiashan Tiger" with its legs stretched forward and its legs stretched back fiercely. It is placed in the middle of the house for the purpose of holding down the house.
In addition to the above-mentioned connotations of life worship, ancestor worship, praying for blessings and peace, Chinese folk paper-cutting also has some educational and entertaining folk paper-cutting, mostly with themes of drama characters, filial piety stories, real life, etc. , the content of these paper-cuts is clear and easy to understand, which is the development and innovation of folk paper-cuts.
