About Hash
The Hash House Harriers have been described as a drinking club with a
running problem. It all started in Malaysia back in the 1930's. Now
there are thousands of clubs all over the world. Whilst every club has
it's variations the basic format is always run (or walk), then drink and eat. The
emphasis is always on the social side of things. In Brisbane there are
several clubs that run weekly, with different clubs running different
evenings of the week.
History of Hash House Harriers
Hashing originated in December 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia). A group of British immigrants began meeting on Friday evenings, to run in a fashion patterned after the traditional British game of hare and hounds, in which one or two "hare" runners scatter a trail of cut paper for the "hounds" to track. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, Harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer, and cigarettes. With hash names in parentheses, the original members included Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert ("G"), Cecil Lee, Frederick Thomson ("Horse"), Ronald Bennett ("Torch"), Eric Galvin, H.M. Doig, and John Woodrow.
A. S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" after the Selangor Club Annex, known as the "Hash House", where several of the original hashers lived and dined. The "Hash House" got its name for "its hodgepodge of edible servings being passed off for food". The term hash was used as an old British slang for "bad food".
Hashing ceased after the Invasion of Malaya during World War II, but several of the original group restarted it in 1946, after the war, and switched to meeting on Monday evenings. A.S.I. Gispert had been killed on 11 February 1942, in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters with an annual Gispert Memorial Run.
While attempting to reorganize in the city of Kuala Lumpur after World War II, hashers were informed by the Registrar of Societies that, since they were a "group", they would require a constitution. The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950 are:
- To promote physical fitness among our members
- To get rid of weekend hangovers
- To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
- To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the second chapter in Singapore. Chapters are commonly called Kennels, following in tradition to similar Hound & Hare clubs. The idea spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, and North America, expanding rapidly during the mid-1970s.
There are about 1,500 chapters worldwide, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines, and organizing regional and world hashing events. As of 2003, there were even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica.
Regular meetings
Most hashing clubs gather on a weekly or monthly basis. However, some events occur sporadically, e.g., February 29th, Friday the 13th, Typhoon 'T8' or a full moon.
At a hash, one or more members ("hares") lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the "pack" or "hounds"). Paper, flour, or chalk are usually used to mark the trail. The trail periodically ends at a "check". The pack must find where it begins again; often, the trail includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, "check backs," and splits. These features are designed to keep the pack together despite differences in fitness level or running or walking speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the "true" trail, allowing stragglers to catch up.
Members sometimes describe their group as "a drinking club with a running problem", indicating that the social element of an event is as important, if not more so, than any athleticism involved. Beer remains an integral part of a hash. However, the balance between running and drinking differs between chapters, with some groups placing more focus on socializing and others on running.
Generally, hash events are open to the public and require no reservation or membership, but most require a small fee, referred to as "hash cash", to cover the costs incurred, such as food or drink, and the club treasurer may also be nicknamed "Hash Cash".
Some hash clubs have a hash home, which could be a bar, restaurant, resort, or a sports club. In that case, the hash always or almost always starts at the hash home. The club may then transport the hashers to some other location to start the run. Other clubs simply advertise the start to membership, usually by posting on a website. The run may finish where it starts, or it may be "A to B," meaning it finishes elsewhere.
It is common to have some combination of runners and walkers within a kennel. At some kennels it is more common that most participants will run and at others, everyone walks. Some kennels meet after dark and use flashlights or headlamps to find the marks, and some meet only during daylight. Some kennels are men only, some women only, but most are mixed. Many are very adult-oriented, which means bawdy drinking songs, etc, and others are family-oriented.