Covers of the Week #88: The Moon and Lunar New Year

Theme: Moon On Covers (In Honor of the Lunar New Year)

This week’s covers feature moons glowing in the night, in honor of the Lunar New Year.

The Lunar New Year, known also as the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, begins today Sunday, January 22, 2023. It is a traditional holiday celebrated by many East and Southeast Asian nations and cultures that marks the beginning of a new lunar calendar.

The name Spring Festival is due to the lunar calendar’s association with the Spring planting season. Farmers gave thanks for the harvest of the past year and to looked forward to the new agricultural season. The festival would involve cleaning homes, offerings to ancestors and gods, making new clothes and other preparations for the new year.

Today in Mongolia, China, Korea, Vietnam, and other East and Southeast Asian countries, citizens celebrate Lunar New Year. In nations such as the United States and Canada, people also observe the holiday.

The holiday is a time for families to come together and reflect upon the end of the old year and to wish for good luck and prosperity in the year to come. Festivities typically include exchanging gifts, parades, cultural performances including lion and dragon dances, and traditional foods.

The celebrations last for 15 days, and the most important day is New Year’s Eve.

The Lunar New Year and Phases of the Moon

The Lunar New Year is determined by the lunar calendar, which is based on the moon’s cycles. Specifically, it is based on the first new moon of the lunar calendar year. For that reason, the lunar calendar is different from the solar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the sun and is used in most Western countries.

The lunar calendar is divided into 12 months, each with 29 or 30 days. So to keep the lunar calendar in sync with the solar calendar, an extra month is added every 2 or 3 years. This means that the Lunar New Year can fall anywhere between late January and mid-February of the solar calendar.

The date of the New Lunar Year varies depending on the moon’s phases, but typically falls between January 21st and February 20th.

On this Lunar New Year, the Luna will be in its first phase after the new moon. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and should be mostly dark, except for the right edge.

The Phase of the Moon, January 22

Phase: Waxing Crescent; Illumination: 1%; Moon Age: 0.74 days
Moon Distance: 363,541.36 km Sun Distance: 147,238,179.62 km

The Lunar New Year is time to start anew, both symbolically and literally.

The Covers

For this edition of Covers of the Week for Monday, January 23, 2023, to Sunday, January 29 we’re showing off some of our favorite romance covers with moons in the night sky in honor of the Lunar New Year.

The Covers from Left to Right, (Clockwise)

• Comanche Moon, Catherine Anderson, Harper Collins, 1991, Robert A. Maguire cover art
• Beloved Honor, Mallory Burgess, Zebra, 1995, Franco cover art
• Midnight Moon, Mildred Riley, Pinnacle, 1995, cover artist TBD
• Waiting for the Moon, Kristin Hannah, Fawcett, 1995, James Griffin cover art

Your Opinion

What do you think of this week’s theme? Do any of the covers stand out to you as a favorite? Have a recommendation for a future Covers of the Week theme? Let us know, and we’ll try it out.

As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.