Students at Scotland’s University of St Andrews took part in an unusual annual tradition this week, turning a campus lawn into a shaving-foam fight. Dressed as sunflowers, Smurfs and other quirky characters, hundreds of students gathered for Raisin Monday, a centuries-old university ritual.
While the sight of students covering one another in foam may seem unusual, the tradition has a curious backstory.
Why St Andrews students celebrate Raisin Monday
The tradition at the University of St Andrews dates back around 600 years. First-year students traditionally thanked older students who guided them through their first weeks at university by giving them a pound of raisins, which explains the name Raisin Monday.
Over time, the custom transformed into the shaving-foam spectacle seen today. On Monday, students gathered on St Salvator’s lower college lawn at 11am, armed with cans of shaving foam and dressed in colourful costumes.
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The costumes are chosen by second and third-year students, known as academic “mums” and “dads”, who are paired with first-year students. This year, groups dressed as periodic table elements, bananas, mice, chefs and characters from animated films.
{{/usCountry}}The costumes are chosen by second and third-year students, known as academic “mums” and “dads”, who are paired with first-year students. This year, groups dressed as periodic table elements, bananas, mice, chefs and characters from animated films.
{{/usCountry}}Freya, a first-year student whose group dressed as periodic table elements, told The Guardian that traditions like these are increasingly important when people spend less time connecting face to face. She said the event helps bring everyone together.
Another student, Simon, summed up the bonding experience by asking, “When you are covering each other in shaving foam, how much more bonded can you get?”
How the unusual university tradition works
Raisin Monday is part of a wider weekend of activities. In previous years, Sunday involved first-year students being woken early, sometimes “kidnapped” by their academic families, and taken for a dip in the North Sea. In 2026, the swim is optional.
The university's tradition is not the only unusual student ritual in Scotland and England. At Merton College, Oxford, students walk backwards around Fellows’ Quadrangle when the clocks go back in October. At the University of Aberdeen, students carry the incoming rector around campus on a stuffed bull.
Why the shaving-foam fight matters
St Andrews is a small university town on Scotland’s east coast, and students make up a significant part of its population. The annual event offers newcomers an opportunity to meet people beyond their usual social circles.
Deborah, an American medical student, told The Guardian that the university’s size makes such gatherings possible and helps create a sense of community.
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For Henry, another American student, the event offered a chance to meet peers from across the world, including Singapore, South America, Africa and the Middle East.
After around half an hour, students left the lawn to wash off the foam in the cold weather, having bonded over the unusual tradition.