The application of Chinese folk paper-cutting in traditional Chinese festivals
Solar terms etiquette is an important part of folk activities. Diversified folk activities enrich the content and form of seasonal etiquette. Chinese folk paper-cutting adapts to the requirements of diversified festivals, and its functional characteristics tend to be diversified. For the working people "At the root of the joy of beauty, if there is no function, then things will not exist." Function is not only the basis for the emergence and development of Chinese folk paper-cut art, but also the driving force for the formation of style. In local chronicles across the country, in the folklore entries, folk paper-cutting activities are almost included in the folk activities of the twelve months of the year. Some are detailed and some are sketchy. Some of them are based on the viewpoint of the chroniclers, who recognize that folk paper-cutting is not a popular activity. The hall of elegance is not allowed to enter the ambition. However, folk paper-cutting has always accompanied people through ups and downs until today.
The functions of Chinese folk paper-cutting in festival etiquette can be roughly divided into two categories: one is to express the beauty of life with the theme of praying for children, offering sacrifices to auspiciousness, receiving blessings, and celebrating, such as the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. And weddings, birthdays including full moon, centenary crown ceremony, etc. These seasonal rituals create an atmosphere of joy and joy, expressing the high-spirited temperament of life and peoples yearning for the splendor of life. Therefore, this kind of folk paper-cutting holds high peoples expectations, hopes, and all kinds of good wishes. In terms of artistic expression, it has the style characteristics of full composition and lively modeling. The preparation time for these activities is relatively sufficient, so the functional paper-cutting patterns are generally more exquisite, which gives full play to the ingenuity of the rural craftsmen. Another category is to cure diseases, exorcise evil spirits, eliminate disasters, and offer sacrifices with the theme of expressing the endless life, such as Qingming Festival, June 6th, October 1st, and funerals. These seasonal rituals create a quiet, solemn and solemn atmosphere, expressing tragic resilience and peoples endless pursuit of life. This kind of folk paper-cutting carries peoples heavy psychological sustenance, and more importantly it soothes peoples emotional frustrations and traumas. Paper-cuts with these functions were mostly made for emergencies and were destroyed due to activities. In Shanxi, there is a custom of "disaster disaster" for children who celebrate their 20th birthday. Twelve-square paper-cuts of the Big Red Bridge flower are cut out according to age. The content is usually the image of the mother, good luck, the number one scholar and the younger brother, peony wealth, bridge repair tools, etc., and then connected into a flower bridge shape and pasted on yellow paper. The mother adopts the child. The ceremony of getting into a sedan chair, and then the sedan chairBurn it and throw it in the river. This type of paper-cutting is more concise and general, with short and wide lines on the paper and closely connected images. Most of the paper-cutting patterns use clear-colored paper. There is also another situation where folk artists take advantage of peoples desire to invest less time in such activities and pursue beauty, and prepare paper-cuts with this function for sale as merchandise. Commercial competition among artists makes their The paper-cut patterns are very delicate. In Fushan, Shanxi, in front of the door of the person doing the funeral, there is a "paper-cut" cut according to the age of the deceased, one layer for each age, connected layer by layer. If the deceased is eighty, ninety or even a centenarian, the "paper-cut" for the deceased will be hung. The momentum can be imagined. The incense flag used for memorial service is a round shape with a diameter of more than 1 meter, with six layers about three meters high. Each layer is made of various colored paper boxes and paper-cut patterns, with violet lily incense hanging around it. Most poor working people have no economic power for this kind of consumption.
The functions in festival etiquette strictly restrict the collection of folk paper-cutting patterns. Folk paper-cutting is inseparable from these customary activities, and its group characteristics are more prominent. The content and artistic form of the above two types of paper-cutting patterns cannot be confused. The cultural tradition and long history of festive etiquette activities give Chinese folk paper-cutting a humanistic touch, from which modern people can feel the depth, breadth and power of traditional folk culture. Among these two types of traditional patterns, many have "living fossil" quality and simple style, such as "Fish Playing with Lotus", "Ziting Tent Doll", "Bagua Fish Doll" and "Deer Head Flower" used in the first category Etc.: The second category uses "Wudao Doll", "Sweeping Goddess", "Fire Tower", etc. The origin and legacy of festival etiquette paper-cutting patterns lie in the endless festival etiquette activities with functions. For example, weddings are one of the most important events in life. From the beginning of "Six Rites" to "Marriage Age", "Zhou Rites" provides a detailed review and record of the wedding process and various related etiquette matters during the Zhou Dynasty. "Tokyo Menghualu" also provides a relatively comprehensive record of wedding etiquette in the Northern Song Dynasty. Local chronicles from various places have documented local wedding customs in folklore entries. The records of different ethnic groups in different periods and regions are similar to the popular wedding ceremonies today (of course, with the exception of individual phenomena of individual ethnic minorities). Especially in remote and remote areas, the etiquette and customs from marriage negotiation, betrothal, ceremony, marriage and subsequent childbirth are relatively intact. The status of folk paper-cutting as a wedding witness has not changed. In todays society, folk paper-cutting still plays this role even in weddings held in Beijing and Buhai where people wear wedding dresses and suits. Although the paper-cutting used in weddings does not include "bow bowls" and "tenant dolls", "Golden Rooster Exploring Lotus" and other native patterns, but paper-cut patterns such as "Magpies Making Plum Blossoms", "Dragon and Phoenix Showing Good Luck", "Carp Lying on Lotus", "Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water", "Butterflies in Love with Flowers" are still popular among brides and grooms Like, the artistic form is in the same vein as the group flower form in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Just like the weddings in the Song Dynasty, these patterns were used to cover wedding dresses and gifts to decorate the wedding "bridal chamber". Folk paper-cutting beautifies the wedding environment, creates a warm, peaceful, cheerful and festive atmosphere for the wedding, marking the beginning of a new family. It is also the couples longing and hope for a new life to get psychological satisfaction and spiritual pleasure from these paper-cutting patterns
