新春漫话门神画

Door-god pictures on the Lunar New Year

“爆竹声中除岁,桃符万象更新。”又有:“爆竹声中一岁除,春风送暖入屠苏。千家万户曈曈日,总把新桃换旧符。”所以,有宋以来,桃符的更迭已成为新年伊始的重要标志。桃符,约从五代末开始分化,逐渐演变成春联和门神画。后蜀主孟昶题桃符:“新年纳馀庆,嘉节号长春”开春联之先河,而门神画。

This article gives a brief account of the origin of people s belief in door-god (said to guard the house-hold against evil spirits) in China and the development of folk door-god pictures which are often pasted on the Lunar New Year.