The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is our traditional festival "Lantern Festival". Because this is the first full moon night of the new year, it is also called "Reunion Festival". Because the Lantern Festival in previous dynasties has the custom of viewing lanterns, putting lights and making flower lanterns, it is also called "Lantern Festival". The New Year paintings in the traditional Lantern Festival include lantern paintings used to watch lanterns and guess puzzles, as well as door paintings and middle hall paintings that post blessings. In the traditional production areas of New Year paintings such as Beijing, Wuqiang, Hebei, Jinnan, Shanxi, Suzhou Taohuawu and other places, different varieties of lamp painting products are produced.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is our traditional festival "Lantern Festival". Because this is the first full moon night of the new year, it is also called "Reunion Festival". Because the Lantern Festival in previous dynasties has the custom of viewing lanterns, putting lights and making flower lanterns, it is also called "Lantern Festival". In the old days, on this day, there were often folk "social fires" performing in the courtyards of the market streets to render the festive atmosphere. At night, there are bright lights everywhere, dragon dances, lions, boat lights, bamboo horses, herons, mussel shells, guessing lantern riddles and other lantern market evenings throughout the city and countryside, and there are many kinds of traditional folk activities.
The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, which is "headed by a hundred festivals". During the traditional Spring Festival, it is indispensable for every household to post New Year paintings, which is an important folk activity. On the day of the winter solstice, the "Nine-Nine Cold Map" should be posted to facilitate farmers to predict a bumper harvest in the coming year according to the weather conditions during the period. On the day of "Lapa Ba", the "Three Generations of Ancestors" and "Dezhai Fangchun" family hall New Year paintings should be hung, generally located in the ancestral hall or in the middle of the hall. On the twenty-third day of the waxing moon, it is necessary to sacrifice the stove and paste the king of the stove. Chinese New Year's Eve day paste spring league, change the door god. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the statue of the god of wealth is posted, and the fifteenth day of the first month is the official day of "seeking blessings". Flower paper is the customary name for New Year paintings in the southern part of the mainland, and the New Year paintings in the traditional Lantern Festival include lantern paintings used to watch lanterns and guess puzzles, as well as door paintings and middle hall paintings that post prayers.
First, the enigmatic lamp painting
The lantern festival held on the 15th day of the first lunar month is the first public event held during the Spring Festival. "Lights" are the theme of this large public event. The custom of holding a lantern festival on this day began with emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's sacrifice of "Taiyi God". In the "Art and Literature Cluster", it is recorded: "The history of the Han family to look forward to the day of the Taiyi, from dusk to ming. Tonight's visit to the lantern is its relic. "Since then, altars have been built in folk shrines, and on the evening of the fifteenth day of the first month, they have been lit up all night to make offerings. In the era of Tang Xuanzong, the lantern festival was extended to three days, fourteen lights were released, sixteen lights were dismissed, and orders were ordered to organize non-governmental lanterns to watch and play with lights. After Zhao Kuangyin established the Great Song Dynasty, he extended the time limit for the release of the lamp to five days, twelve lights, and the sixteenth day of the first month. In the era of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, the Lantern Festival was extended to the ninth day, generally on the eighth day of the first month of the first month, and the lights were removed at the climax of the lantern on the sixteenth day of the first month. Through the development history of the lantern festival time limit, it can be seen that the importance of the lantern club is increasing day by day.
Lanterns in old Beijing in the 1940s Image source: North China Communications Co., Ltd. during the War of Resistance
Yarn lanterns in the lantern festival of the old Beijing Lantern Festival in the 1940s Image source: North China Communications Co., Ltd. during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
The 15th day of the first month is the most lively event of the Lantern Festival. "Thirty fires, fifteen lamps". Flower lantern viewing has become an indispensable activity of the Lantern Festival. Lantern lights come in a variety of forms. There are hanging flower lamps, marquee lights, ice display lights, etc. Among them, the flower lantern and the marquee are indispensable to the paintings in the lamp. Looking at the lanterns on the Yuan Festival, in fact, what is seen in the traditional lantern festival is the lamp painting, and the lantern riddle on the lamp painting, that is, the custom of "guessing the lantern riddle".
Old Beijing Yarn Lantern in the 1940s Image source: North China Communications Co., Ltd. during the War of Resistance
What is a light painting? The late Mr. Wang Shucun, a famous folk artist and collector of New Year paintings, mentioned in "Folk Art" that there are various kinds of lanterns - marquee lamps, silk lamps, painting boat lamps, etc. "Among them, there are kinds of silk lamp paintings, which are silk paintings painted on the lamp screen, so they are also called lamp paintings. There are generally 4 lamps for 16 paintings, and there are also 24 or more for one class. "There are "Water Margin", "Liaozhai", "Dream of the Red Chamber" and other opera novel themes in the lamp painting. This kind of lamp painting is to show the storyline on the picture one link at a time, which belongs to the form of a comic strip, attracting the viewer to read one lamp after another until the end of the watch. Among the varieties of lamp paintings that have been examined, Beijing lamp paintings are the best, all of which are hand-painted silk. The Beijing-Tianjin area is full of dignitaries and dignitaries, so the production of lamp paintings is also quite painstaking. The general lamp paintings are from the New Year painting workshop, through the print chromatic or print hand painting method to complete.
Mei Kai second time to pass on the good story of Qing Dynasty lamp painting silk hand-painted China Academy of Art Collection Picture source: "Chinese Ancient Prints of New Year Paintings Rare Book" (Beijing volume)
Sun Xinger's two-tone banana fan Qing Dynasty Lamp painting Hand-painted on silk Collection of China Academy of Art Picture source: Rare Books of Ancient Chinese New Year Paintings (Beijing Volume)
Marshal Yue was ordered to cut gold Qing Dynasty Lamp painting Hand-painted on silk Wang Shucunzang Picture source: Rare Books of Ancient Chinese New Year Paintings (Beijing volume)
In the Wuqiang area of Hebei Province, thin and transparent painting paper printed with plays and equipped with various riddles is pasted into lanterns, which are hung at the entrance or on both sides of the street, called "lantern riddles", and the night of the Lantern Festival is used for people to watch and guess. And this kind of sticking to the lamp painting is also called "lamp square year painting". It generally has both painting appreciation and text riddles, which can be guessed while admiring the lights during the Lantern Festival. Lantern riddle is a riddle attached to or hung on a colored lamp, also known as "lantern tiger", because its content is generally more difficult, not easy to guess, as difficult as shooting a tiger, so the Lantern Festival guessing riddle is also known as "spotlight tiger".
Wuqiang lamp painting sticker hanging lamp
Shi Gong Case Lamp Fang Nian Painting Qing Dynasty Wu Qiang Yi Xingcheng Painting Shop Wu Qiang Nian Painting Museum Collection
The lamp painting in the Jinnan region of Shanxi refers to a kind of New Year painting specially attached to the lamp, which is small and exquisite, with opera content, as well as flowers, birds, fish and insects. During the Song and Jin dynasties, Pingyang Province (present-day Linfen, Shanxi Province) set up a special publishing office, so it became the center of the engraving and printing industry at that time. Therefore, the Printing of New Year paintings, including lamp paintings, came into being through engraving. Most of the lantern paintings in jinnan area are based on the content of local Pu operas, such as "Fishing and Killing Families", "Purple Belt", "Gaopingguan", "Shilang Visiting Mother" and so on. The lines of the picture are thick and solid, the twists and turns are frustrated, full of rhythm, showing the strong and powerful knife technique, and the vivid portrayal of the characters is the same as the mural of the Jinnan Temple.
"Shilang Visiting Mother" opera lamp painting ink color print Qing Dynasty Shanxi Jinnan region
Source: Wang Yonghao, ed., Chinese Jinnan Opera Prints, Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1986.
Suzhou was one of the engraving centers in the Jiangnan region of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it was also the place where Suzhou Peach Blossom Woodblock Prints were produced. "Peach Blossom In Peach Blossom Wood, Peach Blossom Immortal in Peach Blossom Temple" is a poem describing Tang Bohu's hometown peach blossom wood. In its New Year painting workshop, it also produced lamp painting products, and its content was mainly based on the immortal motifs of auspicious and auspicious wishes and fortune into treasures, such as zhao cai jin bao, tianguan blessing, hehe er immortal, three-star gaozhao, Lishi immortal official and so on. Hanging at the time of the Lantern Festival is very suitable. Because the specifications of lanterns are mostly fixed sizes, the size of each lamp painting is also unchanged, which provides conditions for mass production for the Nian Painting Workshop. In the Gangnam area, ordinary people's homes are used to hang lamps, and in public places, they are also attached to marquee lamps.
One of the auspicious ruyi lamp paintings, printed with color, Qing Dynasty, Suzhou area (author's collection below)
Auspicious Ruyi Lantern Painting No. 2 PrintEd Color Qing Dynasty Suzhou Area
Eight Immortals Lantern Painting Print printing chromatic Qing Dynasty Wuxi area
In addition, in the middle of the shadow wall at the entrance of the traditional residential courtyard, there is also a diagonal Square New Year painting called "FuZi Lantern". It is a variety of New Year paintings developed from Fuzi. It is first posted on top of the hanging lamp and hung in the middle of the shadow wall wall. Through the light on the night of the First Moon, you can see its beautiful and festive pictures, which gradually developed into a rich type of New Year painting, which is directly posted on the shadow wall or in the entrance of the modern living room. The auspicious motifs in the Fuzi lantern mostly represent the blessings of the heavenly officials (or Hong Fuqi tian) or the longevity of the Antarctic immortals, focusing on the festive atmosphere of many blessings and longevity.
Shouxing Fuzi lamp plate printing chromatic Qing Dynasty Beijing area
In addition, it is also necessary to introduce the small paintings made for dioramas in the woodblock new year paintings of the Shanghai Small School Yard, because this type of New Year painting products are often considered to be used as a variety of New Year paintings for marquee. In fact, whether it is a lamp painting or not, these very valuable folk cultural heritages are the carriers of traditional culture that deserve the awareness and attention of our contemporary people.
Diorama small painting print chromatic Qing Dynasty Gusu Wang Rongxing painting shop Shanghai small school field area
II. "Blessing of Heavenly Officials" New Year Painting:
If "asking for blessings" is a mandatory ritual during the Spring Festival, then the "Blessing of Heavenly Officials" New Year painting is a type of New Year painting specially designed for seeking blessings. There are many blessings from the Heavenly Officials, and it is believed that it has the potential of "hundred blessings and perfection". Tianguan blessed the New Year painting, for the legendary Tianguan wore a wings-spreading black gauze hat and wore a red embroidered seawater river cliff pattern brocade official uniform. Silkworm eyebrows, straight nose and long hair, both earlobes and shoulders. With both hands, he unfolded a scroll of banners (诰封) and wrote the words "Blessings from Heavenly Officials". Some also decorate the tianguan with bats around it. Tianguan is a Taoist deity and one of the "Three Yuan Emperors" in Taoist legends, named Shangyuan Yipin Blessing Tianguan. According to legend, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar every year, the Heavenly Officials descend to the world to bless the world, and the fifteenth day of the first month is also known as the "Shangyuan Festival," which is recorded in the "Liangyuan City Will": "Shangyuan is the day of the blessing of the Heavenly Officials." Therefore, the fifteenth day of the first month is the day of blessing by the Celestial Officials. The "Blessing of Heavenly Officials" New Year paintings are divided into two categories: door paintings and middle hall paintings. Generally, the single one is about two square feet, which is used to post door paintings on the door, and belongs to special one-seat door god paintings. There is also a painting of the Six-square-foot Heavenly Official Blessing Middle Hall hanging in the main hall for the whole family to worship and pray for blessings. In the old days, the painting of the Middle Hall was not only in the New Year Painting Workshop, but also many folk painters and even famous painters who had painted large-scale Tianguan Blessing Middle Hall paintings for the rich and noble families.
Tianguan Zhifumen painting prints and pens in the Qing Dynasty In the Yangliuqing area of Tianjin
The above picture shows the Tianguan standing in front of him, surrounded by five boys under his knees, and the person in the center steps on the large yuan treasure with his feet and holds the golden pony in his hands. Interspersed between the two large yuan treasures is an inky blue money dragon. Yu's fourth son, two sons in a squatting posture, holding hands and feet to step on the yuanbao boy. The other two boys stood around the Heavenly Official, each holding aloft a basket of flowers, in which peonies, lotuses, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms could be seen, because the flowers bloomed in four seasons, so they also had the meaning of blessing the whole year. Among them, the golden yuanbao, the golden pony and the money dragon, including the five children themselves, symbolize the "wealth and glory" and "five sons Dengke". This picture is a wenmen god for single door stickers, exquisitely carved and gorgeous in style.
Tianguan Blessing Zhongtang Painting Printed Pen Painting Qing Dynasty Tianjin Yangliuqing area
The painting in the middle of the painting above depicts the god of wealth wearing a golden-winged heavenly official hat, dressed in a gorgeous official uniform, embracing Ruyi, with five long hairs and a smile. Two boys serve, the latter holds a fan, and the former holds a bottle with peonies in it. Together, there is the meaning of "ordinary life and wealth" and "wealth and happiness". This figure is based on blue, and the reddish yellow is more gorgeous and has a strong decorative nature.
In the current prevention of the new crown epidemic, people want to know more about how to prevent the epidemic through folk activities during the traditional Lantern Festival. On this day, in addition to going out to visit the lantern festival and seeing the flower lanterns, there are indeed customs and activities with the function of epidemic prevention and disease removal. In some places, on the fifteenth night of the first month, there is a custom of using lamps to illuminate the eyes, that is, using flower lamps in the form of face lamps, radish lamps, etc., dangling in front of the eyes of the family, and chanting in the mouth: "Illuminate the eyes, do not harm the eyes..." I think that by doing this, the whole family will not suffer from eye diseases in a year. Most parts of the mainland have the custom of walking a hundred diseases (also called "throwing away a hundred diseases" or "getting rid of obscurity"). That is, on the sixteenth day of the first month, after a few days of lantern viewing activities, leave home to walk relatives, or just walk in the wild. Some places in Hebei call it "travel hundred diseases", early in the morning of the sixteenth day of the first month, get up and walk for miles, wear cypress branches when you go, throw it away halfway, which means that hundreds of diseases are thrown away with cypress branches, and there is no disease and no disaster and health and auspiciousness in the year.
bibliography:
[1] Jiang Yanwen curated the exhibition "Enigmatic Allegory: A Perspective on the Study of YangLiu Youth Painting".
Tai Gaodi. The Genesis, Theme and Style of Beijing Folk Lantern Painting in the Qing Dynasty. Art and Folklore, 2021(01):30-37.
Liu Jinying, editor-in-chief. Millennium Ancient County-Wu Qiang,Hebei Fine Arts Publishing House,2015.03.]
Qin Xueyi, Zhao Jing, editors-in-chief. China Tourism Culture, Gezhi Publishing House, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2014.11
[5] Wang Yonghao, ed., Chinese Jinnan Opera Printmaking, Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1986.
Zhong Heyan. The Folk Art Image of Lantern Painting[J].Science Grand View Garden, 2010(14):36-37.