International Picnic Day

International Picnic Day is an informal food holiday which falls on June 18.1 Interested parties, families, organizations, or social clubs celebrate International Picnic Day with picnics, where food is brought from home or a market and eaten at an outdoor location. It is not an official holiday recognized by Congress.

The origin of the concept of a picnic may have been the social banquets held outdoors by wealthy people in medieval times. The earliest picnic gatherings were also probably related to an outdoor feast held after a successful hunt. 2 In reality, any individual, couple, family, or group who ever enjoyed eating outdoors for any reason was having a ââ?¬Å?picnicââ?¬Â, whether or not they had a specific word for it at the time.

The origin of the word ââ?¬Å?picnicââ?¬Â is most likely the French word ââ?¬Ë?ââ?¬â?¢piquerââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢, which can mean ââ?¬Å?to pick or peckââ?¬Â. It was probably joined with the rhyming obsolete word ââ?¬Ë?ââ?¬â?¢niqueââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢, meaning trifle, to convey the idea of multiple guests bringing different foods.3 In this way, all guests can make a meal of ââ?¬Å?pickingââ?¬Â at small or ââ?¬Å?triflingââ?¬Â amounts of each dish or option, rather than only eating the food they have brought. This suggests that the original use of the word ââ?¬Å?picnicââ?¬Â may have referred more to the idea of sharing a variety of dishes between people, as with a potluck meal.4 It is possible that picnics in the past were based more upon this idea, and by often implementing the idea outdoors, the meaning of the word gradually moved towards sharing a meal socially outdoors.2

Some offline sources talk about picnics as they occurred in the Victorian era, where it appears that they rose in popularity. There is a theory that this occurred partly as a way to enjoy eating socially, without the restrictive rules of etiquette which applied to indoor social dining occasions. It seems that other factors which may have added to the appeal were viewing outdoor scenery, and holding a gathering in connection with hunting parties.5 The Victorians also believed there was an association that had been made between good health and fresh air, which may also have led to the picnic's rise in popularity.
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