St Andrews students mark Raisin Monday with shaving foam fight

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 19 Oct, 15:31 · Archive

Hundreds of first-year students at St Andrews University participated in the annual Raisin Monday shaving foam fight on Monday.

Hundreds of first-year students at St Andrews University in Scotland took part in the annual Raisin Monday tradition on Monday, throwing shaving foam at each other in fancy dress on St Salvator's lower college lawn. The ritual, which dates back 600 years, originally involved freshers giving older students a pound of raisins to thank them for mentoring support. The tradition has evolved over time; students now donate items to the local food bank instead, then participate in the foam fight. Each group of first-years is matched with older "parents" who choose a theme and dress them accordingly, with costumes ranging from Smurfs and minions to periodic table elements. The older students line the arena to cheer on their "children", with participants saying the activity strengthens bonds and brings people together.

How it is being reported

• Foamy war? St Andrews students play out modern take on ancient ritualScottish university’s annual tradition once involved giving out raisins but fancy dress and shaving cream now in vogue Nobody at St Andrews University in Scotland seems to remember how Raisin Monday became a giant foam fight. For 600 years, first-year students have taken part in the ritual of thanking older students for mentoring them through their first few weeks of university life. Traditionally, freshers would give their elders a pound of raisins – hence the name. This Monday however, hundreds wore fancy dress as they streamed on to St Salvator’s lower college lawn at 11am armed with cans…Guardian World · 19 Oct, 15:17
• St Andrews students have fun in traditional Raisin Monday shaving foam fightHundreds of first-year students took to St Salvator’s Quad to take part in the messy ceremony.Evening Standard · 19 Oct, 12:53
• St Andrews students have fun in traditional Raisin Monday shaving foam fightHundreds of first-year students took to St Salvator’s Quad to take part in the messy ceremony.Evening Standard · 19 Oct, 12:22

In this story: St Andrews University · St Salvator's Quad · Fife · Scotland

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