On Thu, 17 Sep 1998, Heleanor Feltham wrote:

> Patrick, whatever happened to the Moon Festival, Chinese New Year and the
> Dragon Boat races?

Heleanor:

Chinese New Year: yes, though usually outside the Christmas period - the
original discussion - but with Lion Dances rather than Dragon Boat races.
(Leicester is the most distant point from the sea I the whole of the
British Isles!).  The Moon Festival is not celebrated by any numerically
significant groups in the UK so far as I know - certainly none of our 80+
"ethnic" and other communities in Leicestershire, though a total of a few
hundred Druids across the whole of the UK now celebrate publicly the
Summer Solstice.  (For the first time in 15 or so years they were allowed
back into the Stonehenge prehistoric site (a national monument and
World Heritage site) for the 1998 midsummer's morning - but it was
completely clouded over!

Patrick Boylan