Leicestershire Druids in celebration to mark Pagan New Year.

For many people Halloween is a time to dress up and knock on doors for trick or treat.

But Pagans across Leicestershire will be spending October 31 celebrating Samhain – pronounced "sow-ain" – which marks the beginning of the Pagan New Year.

Tomorrow, about 150 Pagans from the Charnwood Grove of Druids will meet in a wooded area at dusk and perform the traditional rite around a large fire.

They will gather handfuls of leaves and throw them on the flames while thinking of friends and relatives who have died. This will be followed by drumming and music.

Mark Graham, 50, has been a Druid for about 30 years.

He said: "We begin the rite by honouring the spirits of rocks, trees or flying creatures, whatever is around us.

"It is a way of acknowledging and absorbing the surrounds and the unique eco-system of the place.

"The festival of Samhain is about the end of the old cycle and the beginning of a new one. It's about honouring relatives and people who passed on into the next life.

"We believe that the veil between the living and the dead worlds is thinnest during Samhain so we can form a connection with our ancestors.

"It's not about seeing ghosts or contacting dead, it's simply about feeling closer to them."

Pagans do not have physical buildings or "churches" and perform their ceremonies in a circle, symbolising the creation of their own temple.

After their ceremonies the druids share bread, representing the gifts of the earth, and mead, which symbolises fire, passion, light and the sun.

Mark moved to dispel myths about the ceremony and claims it involved naked dancing or the slaughter of animals.

He said: "People get a lot of things wrong about Paganism, such as thinking that we sacrifice goats or dance naked around fires.

"Also, there are lot of aspects and traditions of Samhain, and other Pagan festivals, that people do without realising.

"Originally, candles were inside turnips to ward off evil spirits and guide the good spirits of their ancestors home.

"Most Christian festivals superimpose Jesus on to Pagan festival such as Christmas, Easter or Halloween."

Mark works as a wildlife officer for Charnwood Borough Council and is chairman of the Loughborough Council of Faiths.