Hash House Harriers
The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated also HHH , H3 , or hashing ) are an international association of non-competitive running , social and drinking clubs. A single event organized by such a club is called a hash or hash run . Bike rallies are known as bashes . The participants in such an event call themselves Hasher or Harriet . The runs carried out by the group are based on the games scavenger hunt and "Hare and Hound".
organization
The Hash House Harriers are organized on a decentralized basis, with each group (also called "Kennel") being managed individually. There is no connecting, hierarchical structure between the individual groups. Nevertheless, the locations of national and international meetings are determined by a group of representatives from the individual associations. The organization of a group is called MisManagement and consists of members of the group who take on certain tasks and titles. There is now a global network of over 1700 groups that are spread over all seven continents. Most of the larger cities in the world have at least one of these groups. These then usually consist of 20-100 members, with male and female participants. Some major city events attract over 1000 hashers.
history
The hashing was originally created in December 1938 in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia, when a group of British colonial officers and emigrants met for runs on Monday evenings. These were the traditional British games scavenger hunt , leaning or "Hare and Hounds" to stand out from the accumulated weekend "excess of food and drink" to free. The founding members were Albert Stephen (AS) Ignatius "G" Gispert, Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett, and John Woodrow. AS Gispert is known as the father of hashing.
After a few months, the registrar made them aware that as a group they needed both a constitution and an official name. AS Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers", based on the extension of the Selangor Club where the men were housed. This was known as the "Hash House" (in German "Hack House") for its notoriously monotonous food. In addition to the attraction of the game of catching the tracker and finding the track, it was always an integral part of rewarding yourself for your efforts with beer, ginger lemonade and cigarettes after the end of the run.
The Hash House Harriers bylaws according to the 1950 Club Registration Card read:
- Promote the physical fitness of the members
- Recovering from the aftermath of last weekend's alcohol consumption
- Generating a good thirst during the run and then quenching it with beer.
- Convince the older members that they are not as old as they feel.
The hashing movement initially disappeared during World War II, but was revived by members of the group after the war. AS Gispert was no longer there, he was killed on February 11, 1942 in a battle in Singapore.
Except for a group that formed around Gus McKey on the Italian Riviera, the spread of the hash was initially very limited. In 1962, Ian Cumming formed a group in Singapore. The idea first spread in the Far East , Europe and Australia , later also in New Zealand and North America , with a high phase in the 1970s. There are currently around 2000 groupings in all parts of the world. Its members disseminate information on websites and web portals, in newsletters and magazines. Since 2003 there have been two groups of hashers even in Antarctica.
Events
Most groups meet at weekly, bi-weekly or monthly intervals. Other events only take place sporadically on special days, e.g. B. at full moon or every "Friday the 13th" instead of.
During the hash, one or more members of the group, called hares for this phase, lay a trail that is followed by the remaining members of the group. This chasing group is called the pack or hounds . The track laid by the hares includes wrong tracks, shortcuts, dead ends and branches. These elements are used to hold the pack together regardless of one's fitness level or running speed. While the fastest runners in the group find the right path ("true trail"), the group has time to catch up.
Members describe the group with the words "a drinking club with a running problem", which should indicate that the social element of this event is equal to, if not in the foreground, the sporting character. Beer therefore forms the integral part of a hash, whereby the weighting between sporty and socially alcoholic character varies from group to group.
Participation in a hash event is generally open to everyone; neither registration nor membership is required. Still, some events take small fees, commonly known as hash cash , to cover the cost of food and drinks. The end of a trail gives the opportunity to socialize, have a drink and witness the traditions of the individual chapters. (see also traditions ). After the official end of a hash, many members go to a nearby house, pub or restaurant for further socialization, called on-after , on-down or on-on-on .
Special events
In addition to the regular hashes, a group can organize other events and themed runs. This can be, for example, hashes on full moon nights: Stuttgart Full Moon Hash or Munich Full Moon Hash. There are also hashes for the big beer festivals: Oktober Fest Hash and the Stuttgart Festival Hash for Cannstatter Wasen.
A widespread "special event" is the Red Dress Run , which is organized annually by the various groups. According to the hash lore, after being invited to a hash in San Diego, a newcomer appeared in a red dress because she was unaware that it was a running group. After taking some ridicule for her appearance, she still decided to do the run in this outfit. Other hashers began to wear red dresses for the races just for fun, and soon a tradition established itself in the form of an annual run of both female and male participants in red dresses. This tradition is now respected by clubs worldwide and is usually the largest event that a group hosts each year. Participation numbers range from over 2000 runners in San Diego and 600 in Washington, DC The largest "Red Dress Run" is currently taking place in New Orleans with around 5000 participants.
Most groups number the hashes they have run and organize special runs for special numbers, for example runs 100, 200, 777, 1000 etc.
Tracks
Hashening has changed little since it was invented in Kuala Lumpur. The hair (s) mark the trail with paper, chalk, sawdust or colored flour, depending on the environment and the weather. Special characters are used to mark dead ends, backtracking, abbreviations or turns. The most frequently used symbol is the check , usually a circle, which means that the pack has to look for the trail in all directions from here.
Tracks can go through any type of terrain. You can walk through forests and meadows, on fixed paths or cross-country. But it is also possible that the track leads through streams, residential areas, shopping malls, over fences and other obstacles.
Signals and terms
Hashers often use whistles to communicate with each other over long distances. Information is also passed on to the group through calls. Each group uses a certain repertoire of characters, which can differ greatly from group to group. As a rule, before each run there is a brief introduction to the symbols used for this track, also known as chalk talk . In addition, the hare of the respective run can provide information about special features before the start, such as sections with few markings or certain obstacles.
Varieties of tracks
There are basically two types of tracks. Live trails are laid by a hare directly in front of the group. The hare gets a head start , the head start , while dead trails can be set hours or days before the actual hash. Live trails and dead trails are also referred to as live hare and dead hare trails. Live trails come closer to the original game "Hare and Hound". The aim of this game is to have the group chase the hare with the aim of finding the hare. Tracks can lead from "A to A", so the track ends at the point from where it was started. Tracks that lead from "A to B" start and end in two completely different places. Some tracks, which are referred to as a trail from "A to A 1 (prime)", end in the walking distance of the starting point.
Traditions
Circles
Most hashes end with a gathering of the group, also known as a circle , or less often a religion . Led by the group leader, the circle serves as a platform for socialization and gives the opportunity to sing, praise or punish individual participants, celebrate the naming of new members or inform the group about news and upcoming events.
Circles can be held by the Chapter Grandmaster, the group's "Religious Adviser", or by a committee.
Down-downs
A down-down is a means of punishing, praising, or recognizing a group member for special things that happened during the hash. This can be aimed at both group usage and other actions during the run.
In general, the person concerned is asked to completely empty the drinking vessel that he is currently holding in his hand. Participants can get recognition for their help, but also as guests or new members. Down-Downs also serve to punish wrong behavior or wrong behavior. However, it rarely matters whether the allegations are real, conceited, or simply fictitious. Punished violations can include missing the "beer stop", pointing a finger at others or using a person's real name. A special down-down is the moment when a hasher with new shoes takes part in a hash. At the end of the run, the hasher is asked to take off one of these shoes and use it as a drinking vessel for the down-down. In some groups, the beer is additionally filtered through a sock of the person to be punished for this purpose.
Many groups incorporate an ice throne into their down-down ceremony. Those who have to endure a down-down are asked to sit on a block of ice and finish the down-down song. In the harder cases, the hashers are exposed to particularly long songs with many stanzas. In some groups, the hasher is asked to remove any textile that lies between the block of ice and the person to be punished, others allow the underwear to be kept on, but require the outer trousers to be removed.
Hash name
In most groups, the use of real names during the event is frowned upon. Members are typically given a "hash name" that is targeted in terms of typical actions, characteristics or the physical appearance of the participant. In most groups, the name must be earned, which means that a hasher is only given a name after doing something outstanding, unusual, or sufficiently stupid to justify the name. In other groups the procedure for assigning names is less pronounced and so hashers are given a name after 5–10 runs.
Some groups give primarily "family-friendly" names (for example: Lost My Way); others favor the use of allusions and taunts (for example: Salt Lick); and others enjoy naming names as obscene, offensive, or politically incorrect as possible. Hasher who have not yet been given a name are generally called "Just (first name)" or "No Name (first name)" (e.g., "No Name John").
Hashers are not allowed to give themselves names as there is an obvious conflict of interest here. Hashers who do so will be renamed by the group at the earliest opportunity and given a more drastic name. Hashers who are dissatisfied with their name and would like to be renamed are treated in the same way. These are then also baptized with names that are as unsuitable as possible.
symbol
The traditional symbol of the hash is a stylized imprint of a human foot, often in conjunction with the hasher's greeting, "On-On." Each hash has its own logo, and accordingly each hash has its own merchandising, called Haberdashery . Accordingly, it is not uncommon for a wide variety of hash logos to be seen during runs.
International events
There are a variety of international events where hashers from different groups meet and run and socialize. The most famous event is Interhash , which takes place every two years and where hashers from all over the world meet. Interhash - Chiang Mai , held in 2006 , offered races in Thailand , Myanmar , Laos , Vietnam , Cambodia and Southwest 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 Limassol , Cyprus
- 1998 Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
- 2000 Tasmania , Australia
- 2002 Goa , India
- 2004 Cardiff , Wales
- 2006 Chiang Mai , Thailand
- 2008 Perth , Australia
- 2010 Kuching , Malaysia
- 2012 (Borobodur), (Indonesia)
In addition to Interhash, there are a variety of regional and continental hash events, such as InterAmericas, InterAfrica, InterGulf, InterScandi, EuroHash and PanAsia. National hash events, or Nash hashes, primarily bring hashers from a particular nation together, with visitors from abroad being very welcome.
Individual evidence
- ^ AS Gispert in HHH WS
- ↑ Kuala Lumpur H3 History and Rituals ( Memento of the original from July 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Flying Booger's Hash Primer
- ↑ Stuttgart Full Moon Hash ( Memento of the original from July 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Munich Full Moon Hash ( Memento of the original from October 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Oktober Fest Hash ( Memento of the original from February 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Fest Hash Stuttgart zum Cannstatter Wasen ( Memento of the original from July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.nolareddress.com/ New Orleans Red Dress Run
