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Chinese New Year Lantern Activity
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

Chinese New Year Lantern Activity

According to an ancient Chinese legend, a monster named Nian (which means year) would attack a village and eat people at the beginning of the year. Each year, the villagers fled until they learned it could be frightened away by loud noises, bright lights and red lanterns. Today, Chinese New Year is celebrated with firecrackers, fireworks and red lanterns.

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5 Ways To Celebrate Lunar New Year in The Classroom
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

5 Ways To Celebrate Lunar New Year in The Classroom

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. It takes place on the first new moon between January 21st and February 20th. In 2025, the Year of the Snake will begin on January 29. Here are a few ideas for celebrating Lunar New Year in the Classroom.

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The Year of the Snake
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

The Year of the Snake

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, occurs on the first new moon between January 21st and February 20th. In 2025, Chinese New Year will be celebrated on January 29.

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The Great Race
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

The Great Race

One of the main legends about how the years got their names is the story of the Great Race. According to the tale, the ruler of the heavens, called the Jade Emperor, celebrated his birthday with a race. He invited all the animals in the world to take part. The first twelve animals to finish would have a year named after them. 

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Lunar New Year
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

Lunar New Year

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. It takes place on the first new moon between January 21st and February 20th. In 2024, Lunar New Year falls on February 24.

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Ancient Chinese Dynasties
Ancient China Christa Galloway Ancient China Christa Galloway

Ancient Chinese Dynasties

What is a Dynasty?

A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family. For example, every ruler from the Shang Dynasty was related to Cheng Tang, the first ruler of the Shang Dynasty. Usually, the throne would pass from the ruler to his son. 

Dynasties ruled China for most of Chinese history, all the way from 2070 BCE to 1912 AD. During this time, there were 13 different dynasties.

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Terracotta Army Puzzle
Ancient China Ancient China

Terracotta Army Puzzle

After more than 2000 years, the terracotta army, built to guard Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, was a bit like an enormous 3-D puzzle made up of fragments of 8,000 life-size clay figures. Archaeologists and restorers spent months, or even years, on each figure, finding the right places for all the pieces and sticking them back together.

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