Students get down and dirty with epic foam party as they celebrate historic annual tradition

HUNDREDS of students got down and dirty today as they took part in an epic foam fight tradition.

The soapy scenes were held to mark Raisin Monday – an annual celebration at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

PAFace paints and costumes made for a colourful display[/caption]

PAOne couple was seen kissing in the crowd[/caption]

PAOne reveller rose above the crowd on a pal’s shoulders[/caption]

Nuns, Romans and tartan-clad Scotsmen were among the costumes in the crowd as students were lathered in snow-white froth.

One couple could be seen kissing through the spray as others surfed the creamy white waves at shoulder height.

Raisin weekend sees students celebrate a weekend of festivities with their mentors, playing pranks and silly games.

And there were plenty of Mohicans in sight today as pals clung to each other laughing.

It came as the so-called ‘children’ donned embarrassing costumes and were let loose on the Lower College lawn for an enormous shaving foam fight on Monday.

In true tradition, the freshers were given a good soaping – all to say thank you to their older pals.

The tradition dates far back into the university’s history and is named after the tradition whereby “children” gave their academic “parents” a pound of raisins to thank them for welcoming them to St Andrews.

The University of St Andrews was founded in 1413.

Nowadays it is more likely to be a bottle of wine.

PAPals laughed as they soaked one another in the crowd[/caption]

PAThe soapy students were all smiles as their costumes were drenched in suds[/caption]

PAIt was a balancing act for some[/caption]

ReutersOthers smiled through the foamy action[/caption]

PAOne cheery student beamed through the crowd as Mohicans were styled[/caption]

ReutersThe annual tradition sees freshers thank their senior mentors[/caption]

PAFace paints and ears could just be made out through the bubbles[/caption]

ReutersCheeky freshers lapped up the weekend of festivities[/caption]

PANew pals gleamed as their clothes were sodden[/caption]