The Hash House Harriers started in Malaysia in 1938, and is based on the "Hare and the Hound" game that was played in Britain as far back as the 1800s, as far as we can tell from documentation. The group is known as a "Drinking club with a running problem." But you don't have to run.
A guy named "G" Gispert, who was a British accountant working in Malaysia for the East India Company discovered a version of the game and brought it over to his neck of the woods. Basically, someone would take wads of shredded newspaper and lay a trail through the jungle. The person who set the trail was the hare and the followers were the hounds. Only G took it further by hauling a tub of iced beer and adding funny songs and other traditions. He was killed in combat in WWII, but the group he created lives on.
Today there are chapters in every country and major city in the world. Someone volunteers to set a trail and it’s announced on the Internets or by calling a hotline. Only the hare or hares know where the trail will go. The rest of the group shows up at the appointed place and time and have a pre-beer. The hare is given a 15-minute head start. He takes off with chalk, and a bag of baking flour, usually five to ten pounds, and drops a handful of four every ten to twenty seconds. After fifteen minutes, the pack follows the trial. The object of the game is to catch the hare or to get to the end and the beer, whichever comes first.
The hare sets down giant circles which are called "checks" which have to be solved. The pack splits up and looks for trial marks. If they find one, it could be a "false trail" if they find three parallel lines after three marks. This means the hare, like a real rabbit, has backtracked to throw the pack off his scent. At some of these checks, to slow the pack down further, the hare leaves beer or other alcohol.
If the hare gets caught, they dump flour over his head and give him another ten minutes. The Guam Hash House Harriers take an article of clothing.
At the end there is beer and munchies. You don’t "win" a hash. If you compete, they’ll make you drink. Oh yeah, did I mention there is beer? They hold "Beer Religion" where they honor the hare with beer and make up a bunch of stuff to make people drink. They sing you a song like "Here’s to [the hare] he’s true blue. He’s an asshole through and through. He’s a piss pot so they say, and he’ll never get to heaven in a long, long way. Drink it down, down, down . . ."
I can’t stress how many songs are sung, and beers consumed. They’ll find a reason to make you drink. Have a birthday? "Happy birthday fuck you. Happy birthday fuck you. Happy birthday dear [name], happy birthday fuck you. Drink it down, down, down, down . . ."
After five runs they give you a Hash Name. That is the name you will be known by thereafter. Usually it’s a play on something you do or your job. For example, if you’re a tennis player, the name "Ball Basher" would be good. If you do construction "Stud Finder" would fit. Attorney? "Sosume." Sometimes this is bad because no one knows your real name. We had one guy who could not be bailed out of jail because they would not take "Achy Breaky Fart" as the guy’s legal name.
Here’s a link to Wikipedia. Check out the links at the bottom of the article, some are NSFW.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
Here's a sample link to the London HHH:
http://www.londonhash.org/
And Seattle:
http://www.wh3.org/
Frankfurt:
http://www.frankfurt-hash.de/
Southern California:
http://www.hash.org/
Canada
http://www.hash.ca/
Just Google your city with "Hash House Harriers" for more.
You should be more like Cantrip.
Twitchy: "I pulled a Cantrip . . ."
GivePeaceAChance: "If the Tempest had nipples, I'd pinch that shit."
Xylicon: "I'm about to deliver my [Richard] in your face for posting that stupid shit. "
WDF?: "He keeps reaming me... night after night... I'm rather sore."
GivePeaceAChance: "OMG MY NIPS ARE HARD"
llenta: "cantrip, you fail!!!"
Filliam H. Muffman: "i'm on top of dick"