Day One Hundred & Sixty Seven - The Hash

The Hash. A weekly occurrence here in Juba. Always on Saturday. What happens is a group of Khawaja’s get together for a walk or run of a random length (usually around 5K) followed by socializing with tasty fermented and non-fermented beverages depending on what you fancy.

The Hash happens all around the world. Hashing originated in December 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia), 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, Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius "G" Gispert, Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett and John Woodrow. After meeting for some months, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a Constitution and an official name. A. S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" after the Selangor Club Annex, where the men were billeted, known as the "Hash House" for its notoriously monotonous food. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer, ginger beer and cigarettes. Hashing died out during World War II after the invasion of Malaya, but was re-started after the war by most of the original group, minus A. S. Gispert, who was killed on 11 February 1942 in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters by an annual Gispert Memorial Run. Apart from a "one-off" chapter formed on the Italian Riviera by Gus Mackie, growth of Hashing remained small until 1962, when Ian Cumming founded a chapter in Singapore. The idea then spread through the Far East, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America, booming in popularity during the mid-1970s. At present, there are almost two thousand chapters in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines and organizing regional and world Hashing events. As of 2003, there are even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica.

At a Hash, one or more members, “Hares” (it is always two members here) lay a trail, which is then followed by the rest of the Pack. The trail is marked with flour arrows or mounds. The people at the front keep the Pack together. “On-On” is the phrase used by the leaders to let everyone else know that they are on the right trail. No one is left behind. We always stop at certain points to let everyone catch up and then continue on together. At the end of every run, there are songs sung. We have a very interesting bloke who was obviously in a choir in his younger years. I don’t think the songs would be as entertaining without him leading them. We welcome the newbies. And then there is a song for the rule breakers. Rules are things like, no headgear, no electronics, new shoes, and any other rule a Hare decides to make up that day. Names. Everyone who participates in the Hash eventually receives a name. Here in Juba a person receives a “hash name” on their fifth hash (I have two more to go). Hashers are not allowed to name themselves. What fun would that be. So people tell stories about the person being named. These stories can be true or entirely made up, but the point is to tell stories that will bring out a good hash name. I am not looking forward to the name day because it involves having random stories told about you, a song sung for you and then beers poured over your head as an initiation of sorts. How’s that for a welcome to the club?

It is a really great way to meet people and to see parts of the city you otherwise would not see. For example, last week was at the Southern Sudan Breweries Ltd and an awesome run. Cool to see the other side of the city. And we have gone down many random paths and back roads. Locals get a kick out of it. A bunch of Khawaja's running in a pack down the dirty dusty busy streets.

So there you have it. The Hash. A fun way to meet people, socialize and get a little exercise on a Saturday evening.