Appreciation of the characteristics and meaning of folk paper-cutting in the Central Plains
The main reason why Henan paper-cutting has been passed down for thousands of years and continues to be durable is that it is closely related to folk customs and folk customs, and eventually became a kind of folk culture with extensive use value in peoples lives. Until now, people are still inseparable from paper-cut patterns in activities such as the four seasons, weddings and funerals, human relations and etiquette, and environmental decoration.
The folk customs in western Henan are honest and honest. Every winter and the twelfth lunar month, eldest girls and young wives will "put down their hoes and pick up the scissors to cut the tigers head (to drive away evil spirits)." The Spring Festival is the biggest solar term of the year, and it is also a display of expressions. The most abundant occasion for folk paper-cutting art. During the festival, every household is ablaze with red and green inside and outside. "Hanging notes" are hung on the front doors, "Fu characters, door gods" are pasted on the door leaves, "Spring Ox" is pasted on the screen wall, and "window flowers" are pasted on the windows. There are "ceiling flowers" on the roof (symbolizing family reunion), and "wall flowers" on the kang and along the edge of the bed (symbolizing endless wealth). The pursuit of auspiciousness and happiness is a major feature of Chinese traditional folk culture, and it is also an important connotation of Henan folk paper-cutting (you can refer to tracing the origin of traditional folk paper-cutting art in the Central Plains). The auspicious pictures in Henan paper-cutting also focus on the aspects of "luck", "lun", "longevity" and "marriage and childbirth". For example, if a girl is getting married, her parents' family should place auspicious paper-cut fireworks along with the dowry gifts. These fireworks include "Pulsatilla", which symbolizes the love and longevity of the young couple, and "fish sucking lotus", "pomegranate", etc. which represent the couples sexual love. When children turn 12 years old, in some places there is still the custom of cutting "five sons to pass the exam" and "removal of stone bridges". When an old man celebrates his birthday, the children will gather together to wish him a happy birthday. Gifts should be cut from gold paper or red paperThe word "Shou", "Shou Peach", "Eight Immortals", "Crane and Deer Spring Together", "Bat Playing with Peach" and other patterns are covered, which means the longevity of the elderly. When an old man passes away, it is called a happy funeral. In both eastern and western Henan, there is a custom of making "caibin tower", "send-off tower", "filial piety lotus" and "incense flag". The cutting work is exquisite and unique.
Animals and plants occupy a high position in the expression of auspicious pictures. Animals such as unicorns, lions (auspicious animals), and dragons (noble animals) symbolize men. It is said that they are the totems of the Huangdi clan. Paper-cut works are mostly seen in northern Henan, Henan and Henan. East Huaiyang area), phoenix (symbolizes women, is said to be the totem of Chu culture, more common in Xinyang area south of the Huaihe River), crane (longevity), sheep (auspicious), chicken (lucky), fish (surplus), magpie (happy) , bat (fortune), tiger (for expelling evil spirits and eliminating disasters, mostly found in northern Henan); for plants, peonies (wealth), pines and cypresses (longevity), lotus (happiness), pomegranates (for many children), and lilies (for a hundred years of good marriage and longevity together) are often used. , peach (longevity), vase (safety), bergamot (lucky), etc. In recent years, there have been "Double Happiness", "Three Yangs (Sheep) Kai Tai", "Spring Breezes from All Sides", "Food Harvest", "Liuhe (Crane) Spring Together", "Qixi Festival Reunion", "Happiness from All Directions" in northern Henan. ", "Double Ninth Festival", "Ten Great Blessings (bat)" and other new auspicious words have new developments on the basis of traditional auspicious pictures.
