Rag week is a week of organised events with the goal of raising money for charity. RAG stands for "Raising And Giving", or "Raise A Grand" (as in, "Raise a Thousand" pounds). The tradition of Rag was started in 1900 when a group of students sold rags with poems on them, in order to give something back to society (the money was donated to poorer people). A number of student societies in Britain continued the tradition and gained a reputation for unusual events, such as float parades, or beard shaving. The tradition has remained mostly a student tradition, popular in the UK and Ireland (where the tradition originated), and to a lesser extent in universities around Europe and the world.

External links

The Rag Society, Lancaster University