Hash House Harriers

The Hash House Harriers (commonly abbreviated "HHH" or "H3" and referred to as "the Hash") is a worldwide collection of loosely-associated running groups. The organization of the HHH is completely decentralized, with chapters allowed to form and disband at any time and in any place.

Individual hashes have their own (often absurd) customs and rituals, but almost all hashes share several major characteristics. A Hash run will consist of running a trail that is not disclosed ahead of time, but rather is marked by some means by a member of the group. This tends to lead to unpredictable and dynamic running trails. At the end of the trail, participants hold a ceremony known as "down-downs", drinking beer to celebrate the run. After attending several runs, participants will be given a "hash name", which is generally based in either sexual innuendo or a specific memorable incident involving the new member. Hashers will almost always refer to each other by these "hash names".

The Hash is commonly referred to as "a drinking club with a running problem".

A Short History of the Hash

(From Flying Booger's Hash Primer at Half-Mind (http://half-mind.com/Hashing/who.htm#2))

Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a small group of British colonial officials and expatriates, led by A.S Gispert, founded a running club called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the Hash House. Hash House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British paper chase. A hare was given a head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with shreds of paper, all the while pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the harriers followed his clues to stay on trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and solving the clues, reaching the end was its own reward . . . for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced beer.

Hashing died out during World War II (Japanese occupying forces being notoriously anti-fun) but picked up in the post-war years, spreading through the Far East, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as Europe and North America. This absence of hashing continued until 1962 when Ian Cumming founded the 2nd kennel in Singapore (The Royal Italian Bordighera Hash was begun in the late '40s but died by the late '50s. It was later resurected by members of the Milan H3). Hashing really exploded in popularity in the mid-1970s. By the end of the 20th century there were thousands of Hash House Harrier clubs in all parts of the world, with newsletters, directories, and even regional and world hashing conventions. This boom is owed largely to the power of the internet to provide timely and accurate information on kennels and their events and points of contact. As of this writing (2004), there are even two organized HHH groups in Antarctica.

How it is done

Hashing hasn't strayed far from its Kuala Lumpur roots. A typical hash today is a loosely-organized group of 20-40 men and women who meet weekly or biweekly to chase the hare. The paper has generally been replaced with flour, but chalk and toilet paper is still used. The trails can be through residential areas, forests or swamps, but they are never boring. Hashers run streets and back alleyways, ford streams, climb fences, explore storm drains, and scale cliffs. And although some of today's health-conscious hashers may shun a cold beer in favor of water or a diet soda, trail's end is still a well deserved party.

Goals of the Hash

(From the 1938 charter of the Kuala Lumpur Hash House Harriers)

• 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

International events

There are several international events, where hashers from different groups get together to run and drink beer together, but the most famous is the bi-annual Interhash, where hashers from around the world gather. The next Interhash, 2006, may offer runs in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and South West China.

• 1978 Hong Kong
• 1980 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• 1982 Jakarta, Indonesia
• 1984 Sydney, Australia
• 1986 Pattaya, Thailand
• 1988 Bali, Indonesia
• 1990 Manila, Philippines
• 1992 Phuket, Thailand
• 1994 Rotorua, New Zealand
• 1996 Cyprus
• 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• 2000 Tasmania, Australia
• 2002 Goa, India
• 2004 Cardiff, Wales
• 2006 Chiang Mai, Thailand -- 27 to 29 October, 2006

Impact of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Hash

After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, several hashes, particularly those in the Washington, D.C. area, were approached by anti-terrorist agents concerned about the strange white powder (flour) used to mark the hash trail. As a result, those hashes have had to change their trail-marking techniques to use shredded paper, chalk, or paint.

External links

• Half-Mind (http://www.half-mind.com/)
• Global Trash HHH (http://www.gthhh.com/)
• Interhash 2004 - Cardiff (http://www.ih2004.com/)
• Interhash 2006 - Chiang Mai (http://www.chiangmai2006.com/)