Who are the Hash House Harriers?
The ASSuncion Hash House Harriers are part of the worldwide family of hashing
groups, running across seven continents and drinking somewhere near you. Hashing
itself is more recreation than sport. At the appointed time, a trail leader,
or "hare" lays a trail, using flour, bits of shredded paper and
chalk. The trail is (usually) cleverly designed so that the fastest of the
group of "hounds" will be so confused that they will finish at the
same time as the slowest. Racing is frowned upon; competitors are punished
accordingly.
At the end of the trail, and often at points midway, you will find beer (as
well as water and non-alcoholic beverages). This gives the Hash a chance to
socialize, lift a glass and put this whole running thing in its proper persepctive:
it's the best way to get more beer. At the end, we'll count up the survivors,
then salute the hash with a circle of down-downs ... toast celebrating, denigrating
or just plain -ating members of the group. To perform a proper down-down,
you put a guampa (filled with a beverage of choice, often beer) to your lips
and, when the signal is given, drink it all--because what doesn't go in you,
goes on you.
Hashing is so simple, and it has withstood the test of time. In 1937, a group
of British expatriates in Kuala Lumpur, bored out of their skulls in Kuala
Lumpur, started a social club. Legend has it that after their runs through
the jungle, they stopped to replenish fluids (with beer) at a restaurant known
as the Hash House. The rest is history.
Sound a little too strange to be true? Today, there are hashes all over the
world, complete with regional and worldwide conventions. And, of course, beer.
You could travel all over the world, or check out these web sites, which contain
more hash information than is really necessary:
The Half-Mind Catalog, besides being
a great source of information about hashing, also offers a lot of hash paraphernalia.
Looking for that something special for your boss?
Ah, what can one really say about Zippy the CyberPimp? If you want it correctly,
accurately, Harrier Net has it all.
After all, can't you trust a man whose hashing motto is "Never leave
the camp"?
The Mt. Vernon H3
Hashes in the Washington, D.C. area and is known for initiating the D.C. Red
Dress Run, which in October 2000 attracted over 900 hashers, all in red dresses,
to the capital of the United States.
The Internet Hash House Harriers
links to hashing all over the world. You can also read Hash-L, an international
mailing list that will make you feel that you have more of a life than these
guys.
on-on
