The posh version…
Hashing is a state of mind – a friendship of kindred spirits joined together for the sole purpose of reliving their childhood, releasing the tensions of everyday life, and generally, acting a fool amongst others who will not judge you or measure you by anything more than your sense of humour.
Nearer the truth…
There are two types of madman. One wears a straitjacket and bangs his head against the walls of a padded cell.
The other is one who, if you were to meet him in the pub, looks like a normal, rational, God fearing kind of bloke. He’s nice to children and pets and he always remembers his partner’s birthday. He probably visits his granny every month. But underneath the veneer of civility rages what can only be described as a complete and total nutter: A Hash House Harrier.
The Indalo Hash House Harriers
The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as Hashing) is an international group of non-competitive running, social and drinking clubs. An event organized by a club is known as a Hash or Hash Run, with participants calling themselves Hashers. Hashing originated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 1938, when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British Paper Chase or “Hare and Hounds”, to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. The original members included Cecil Lee, Frederick “Horse” Thomson, Ronald “Torch” Bennett, Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius “G” Gispert and John Woodrow. The Constitution of the Hash House Harriers is recorded on a club registration card dated 1950:
- 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