Students in St Andrews are preparing for a highlight of the social calendar as Raisin Weekend arrives.
Newcomers will be welcomed by their academic ‘mothers’ and ‘fathers’ on Sunday and get covered from head to toe in white in the traditional foam fight on Monday.
A warning has already been issued by police to those taking part in the annual festivities that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.
Drunken antics on Raisin Sunday have escalated into crime and disturbance in previous years, prompting complaints from the public.
Police will patrol the town over the weekend and as well as telling students to behave responsibly have advised them to ensure they remain safe.
Forming of academic families, in which senior students take younger students under their wings, is a centuries-old tradition at the University of St Andrews.
The celebration takes its name from the traditional gift of a pound of raisins to academic ‘parents’.
Today wine is the more common present as academic ‘children’ are hosted by their student mothers and fathers who then take them on a tour of the town’s pubs.
The famous foam fight will be held on Monday on Lower College Lawn.
