yeah, we have academic families - these are sorted out in the first couple of weeks of semester 1, basically you get 'adopted' by students in third year or above (or second years if they're med students) and so you have an academic mum and an academic dad - and probably a whole extended academic family (for example, i have 2 mums, a dad, a stepdad, a brother and sister, 6 half sisters, 2 half brothers, 2 uncles, loadsss of aunts, cousins, grandparents...) you then get to know them - they'll invite you over, or you'll meet up at a pub, or something, a couple times in the first few months or so, all leading up to Raisin Weekend, which is held over the last weekend of october.
it generally starts early on the Sunday - you'll go to your mum's house, give her a bottle of wine, and she will have organised a tea party type thing and will have arranged loads of games/activities/drinking related things, and in the evening you'll then go on to your dad's house, and also give him a bottle of wine, and he'll have organised holds a big family party. then, on the monday morning, you'll go back to your mum's house, who will give you breakfast and then dress you up in some form of costume, and you'll go back to your dad's, who will give you your 'Raisin Receipt', which is meant to be an awkward object to hold (for example, the children in my family had to carry a homemade chariot down the streets, my friends were given condoms filled with water, frozen fish, some had to carry their dad!), and you'll all go merrily on down to St Salvator's Quad, and have a massive shaving foam fight. if you're lucky, your parents will let you shower off at their houses, because although the halls do try to prepare for the monday, you will undoubtedly have to wait for the shower when you get back!
sorry if that all sounds a bit confusing, it was honestly one of the funnest and weirdest weekends i've had so far!