剪纸是中国传统民间艺术之一。春节期间，人们把剪纸贴在门上、窗上或桌上来烘托节日的气氛。对于剪纸，你了解多少呢？
Paper cutting can be seen in many parts of China during the Spring Festival.People stick it on the windows，doors or desks for the festival atmosphere.
It's difficult to tell when it originated.One saying is that it originated from the religious ceremony.The ancient people cut the paper into animals or people.They either buried them with the dead or burned them on the funerals，wishing that things that paper stood for could be with the dead.A thousand years ago，paper cutting was used for decoration.According to historic books，women in the Tang Dynasty used paper cutting as a headdress(头发式样)．In the Song Dynasty，it was the decoration of the gifts.People posted the paper cutting on windows or doors or used it as decorations on walls，mirrors or lanterns.Some people made a living on it.
Paper cutting is all made by hand.It is easy to learn.Noncraftsmen need only a knife and paper.For craftsmen，they need knives and gravers(雕刻刀) of various types to make complicated patterns.No mistake can be made during the process，otherwise the work would fail.Paper cutting covers nearly all topics，from flowers，birds，animals，legendary people，figures in classic novels，to types of facial makeup in Peking Opera.
In the past，women living in the countryside gathered in their free time to make paper cutting，which is a way to judge their skillfulness.As society develops，fewer and fewer people learn this skill while there are some who still regard it as a profession.At present，there are factories and associations for paper cutting in China.Exhibitions and exchanges are held regularly and books of this kind are published.Paper cutting has changed from decoration to a kind of art.At the same time，paper cutting also appears in cartoons，on stage，in magazines or in TV series.
[阅读障碍词]
1．originate vt.引起；开始 vi.起源于
2．funeral n．葬礼
3．legendary adj.传说的；传奇的
