Xinzhou Folk Noodle Sculpture

The Xinzhou face sculpture is a traditional Han Chinese folk art work that has been passed down in this region It is y rooted in Han Chinese folklore and has become one of the local crafts.

In the Xinzhou area, the Spring Festival period to honor the gods and steam offerings. Before the Spring Festival, the hair of the dough, kneaded into the Buddha's hand, pomegranate, lotus, peaches, chrysanthemums, horseshoes and other shapes of offerings. Commonly known as "flower bun".

Xinzhou flower buns, often inserted in the middle of the jujube, both decorative, but also nutrients, condiments, very popular. There is also a large local offerings called "jujube mountain". This jujube mountain to face roll red dates, put together an isosceles triangle, the corner of the top is often molded layer of Ruyi-shaped pattern, plus the top of the face of the "small treasure" three to five, at the same time, but also molded a for biting the copper "money dragon". "Zaoshan" steamed out, you can color dyes, become a bright Han folk art.

On the Ching Ming Festival, a kind of noodle head called "Cold Food for Virtue" is made. This noodle head, the inner package of oil, salt, millet and sesame stuffing, pinching into men and women children's heads, with red lotus beans for the mouth, black lotus beans for the eyes, plus face nose, ears, eyebrows, etc., after steaming to be dotted and dyed, it is very naive and lovely. Some also fabricate a "cold swallow", pinched and steamed cold swallow, inserted in the jujube branch, very much like a group of swallows resting on the branches. These offerings of the Han Chinese folk face painting, rumor has it that with the "Cold Food Festival" related to the "cold food ban on fire, cold food for a day", the swallow is a symbol of the arrival of spring.

On the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, Xinzhou Han folk have steamed "face" custom. Legend has it that this custom began in the late Yuan Dynasty, it is said that people use each other to give the "noodle man" to pass the signal, so far, the Han Chinese folk have "July 15 pinch the noodle man, August 15 to kill the Tartars," said. However, on July 15, there are many different styles of face painting, including cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, cats, chickens, ducks, babies, flowers and fruits. There are also mandarin ducks, peacocks, lions, tigers, deer and other animals that imply happiness, good luck and love. After the 15th, almost every house has a string of face molding hanging on the wall.

The Xinzhou area, on the day of the wedding, men and women of the two families are steamed a lot of big "happy buns". These big "happy buns", to be placed on the table for people to appreciate, taste. At the same time, but also steamed large "flower cake", some places used to use ten pounds of flour to pinch a "flower cake". This flower cake, the surface as a round base plate, roll the edge of the strip for the pattern, lay a layer of red dates, plus a layer of slightly smaller than the first layer of the surface plate with lace, the top of the pinch on the "fish drilling Lotus" of the float, after steaming, add color dots for people to enjoy and eat, but also as a gift to the gift.

The Xinzhou area of the birthday period, but also often steamed "happy bun". "happy bun" more peach-shaped as the main body, plus a variety of auspicious longevity above the small decorations, dyed colors, as a "birthday bun" for friends and relatives.

Doing funeral, the local people have to pinch a kind of in front of the funeral hall offerings of "small food child" face molding. This kind of face painting into a variety of flowers and fruits, small animal images, very delicate and chic, some steamed and dyed, some drying and dyed.

In the Xinzhou area of Fanchi County, there is a fat doll as the theme of the characters of the face molding. At the same time, there is a delicate and small, without dyed colors, white fat and elegant little face. This small face, with climbing, lying, holding flowers, gnawing melons in a variety of postures. Sometimes, it will also be placed in the big red and green dyed "big noodle flower" in the middle. Legend has it that this kind of face painting is the local people on the Wutai Mountain Buddhist temple to worship Buddha and ask for a child and specially made offerings.

The Han folk in Xinzhou, there are still shaping the characters of the characters of the drama, and even get to the market to sell the temple fair. This kind of face molding, the production is also quite exquisite.

In short, Xinzhou face painting is various, diverse, colorful, and become the Han folk art work with aesthetic interest.