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Origins of a Calendar Year C elebrating the new year is a very old tradition, going back thousands of years. And for thousands of years there have been different ideas as to when the old year ends and a new year begins. Over the centuries, people living in different regions of the world developed their own ways of marking and measuring time, which determined when they

considered an old year had ended and a new year had begun. ■ Seasons for Planting and Harvesting

One thing ancient peoples around the world had in common was a need to know the best times for performing certain tasks. Because they relied on the natural world for food, they watched for signs that would tell them the best times to plant, fish, or gather crops.

words to understand

Ancestors : Relatives of previous generations. Dictator : A ruler who has complete power, often maintaining it through force. Indigenous : Originating or occurring naturally in a specific place.

t  Ancient peoples, who depended on the natural world for food, measured time by changes in the seasons. In ancient Egypt, they recognized three seasons: when the Nile river flooded, when seeds were planted, and when crops were harvested. Our ancient ancestors would have followed a calendar similar to this one from Egypt.

Origins of a Calendar Year n

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