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National Picnic Day | Celebrated in American Culture and Lifestyle
- MG Lorraine
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
Happy national picnic day! Picnicking is green in the national narrative as a great family and culturally fun activity. When was the last time you went on a picnic? Do you have a favorite picnic spot? Who went with you? What did you pack to eat? Did you pack a basket?
Picnicking is far older than people know. Merriam-Webster writes that the word picnic came from the French word "pique-nique" and the German word "picknick". Both came to use as a verb in 1815 and a noun in 1826, but the meaning is the same. It is an excursion or outing with food usually provided by members of the group and generally eaten in the open.
In spite of the recency of the definite and given the meaning, we can intuit that humans have been picnicking since the time of ancient peoples. Shepherds, as part of their job, technically picnic when they break for meals during the day. Robin Hood was technically having a picnic when he gathered in Sherwood forest with his "merry men" and fed them the sheriff’s game, bread, cheese, and ale.
In her article: Picnicking Through the Ages, Lydia Zuraw (npr.org) highlights the myriad of ways we have embedded picnicking into our traditions and daily life. We picnic far more than we realize in our modern American culture. Any event where you pack your basket, cooler or even take a simple bag of food along and head outdoors to hike, backpack, bike, fish, boat or gather with friends is a picnic. A milkshake in the park, beer at the lake, trail mix while hiking in the mountains, candy and soda to a concert, snacks and a picnic blanket to a grassy bank to watch the fireworks display, even tailgating at a football game can count as a picnic. Even season and temperature doesn't temper our fun; fisherman often pack food for ice fishing trips and even a hot coffee or mocha enjoyed during an off trail or cross country ski trip can count as a picnic.
Picnicking is so embedded in our culture that it is included in our films, children's cartoons and literature for readers of all ages. Here are some of our favorite references from Amazon:
Referencing picnics doesn’t stop with literature, it remains culturally entrenched in classic films, full-feature animated films and children's cartoons as well.
So whether you grab the classic picnic gear or a contemporary, gather your friends, grab your favorite drinks, pack your favorite foods and make memories in the fresh air today.
Remember to take the photos to keep the memories forever as well. Feel free to share these memories with us on social media and tag us with #mgjournal.
Until next time,
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