St Andrews Students Douse Campus in Foam!

The University of St Andrews recently hosted its unusual Raisin Monday tradition, where hundreds of students covered a campus lawn in shaving foam. This event is a modern evolution of a centuries-old ritual dating back approximately 600 years. Originally, first-year students thanked their seniors with a pound of raisins, giving the event its name.

Now, students don elaborate costumes, often chosen by their academic 'mums' and 'dads', who are upper-year students mentoring them. Groups appeared as elements from the periodic table, bananas, and cartoon characters. This tradition is particularly important for first-year students, like Freya, an international student, who noted its role in face-to-face connection.

Raisin Monday is part of a larger weekend of activities, which in prior years included a cold dip in the North Sea, though this is optional from 2026. The tradition helps integrate new students into the tight-knit university community in St Andrews, a small coastal town where students form a significant portion of the population.

Similar unique student rituals exist elsewhere, such as Merton College's backward walks or the University of Aberdeen's stuffed bull tradition. For many, like American medical student Deborah, these events are crucial for building a sense of community, especially in a smaller university setting.