. . . for Mac fans
History of the Hash
Background on Hashing
Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work; a refreshing break from the nine-to-five routine. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of harriers and harriettes chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometer-long trails through town, country, jungle, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.
Hashing, as we know it today, began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of restive British company men started a hare & hounds running group. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, aka the "Hash House." Hash House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British public school paper chase. A "hare" would be given a short head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with shreds of paper, soon to be pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the harriers followed his marks to stay on trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing down the wily hare, solving the hare's marks and reaching the end was its own reward, for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced-down beer.
Hashing died during World War II (Japanese occupying forces being notoriously opposed to civilian fun), but came back to life in the post-war years, spreading slowly through Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, then exploding in popularity in the late 70s and early 80s. Today there are thousands of Hash House Harrier clubs in all parts of the world, with newsletters, directories, and regional and world hashing conventions.
Despite its growth, hashing hasn't strayed far from its British and Malaysian 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. We follow chalk, flour, or paper, and the trails are never boring. When forced to, we'll run the occasional street or alley, but in general we prefer shiggy . . . fields, forests, jungles, swamps, streams, fences, storm drains, and cliffs. And although some of today's health-conscious hashers may shun a cold beer in favor of water, sports drink or a diet soda, trail's end is still a party. Perhaps that's why they call us the "drinking club with a running problem!"
So if you'd like to spice up your running program with fun, good company, new surroundings, and physical challenge, try hashing. Just remember one thing . . . never wear new shoes to the hash!
The Singapore Hash House Harriets:
The Harriets Chapter was born in October 1973. According to Hash History, the Singapore Hash House Harriets was the first Ladies Hash in the world! It was brought to life by a very small group of Hash Widow's whose husbands disappeared weekly only to come home late, all sweaty, muddy and happy.
The ladies asked themselves why do men enjoy this so much and why can't women participate?? With that, they organized a run on 17-October-1973 that started at Dover Road. 12 ladies turned up for the run after much phone calling and persuasion. They had so much fun they did it again the following week and then the next week and that's how it started.
Back in those days, men were only allowed to join in on the Hash run with the Ladies if they were invited by one of the Ladies and approved by the committee. Today, men are allowed to join without official invitation but there are rules on the Harriets Hash run. No male may lead the pack ever during the run. Those found guilty of leading or even those who are just accused of leading at some time during the run will be required to wear lipstick to the On-On-On (dinner) after the run. The Singapore Hash House Harriets have now held 1374 weekly runs since they started in 1973 and have an active membership of over 100.
This Hash is a group of people who open their arms to all. There are no restrictions except that members must be at least 18 years old. The membership is comprised of many nationalities, from Asia, from Europe, from the Americas as well as many walks of life, yet they all run side by side, help each other over obstacles, encourage each other to keep going when they are tired, work as a team to solve the puzzle of the trail, and share in conversation and some fun when all have returned back safely.
Author: unknown (if you wrote this please own up).