National Picnic Month
Everyone is familiar with Independence Day on July 4th is celebrated during the month of July but alot of us do not know that it is also National Picnic Month. We have all come to celebrate the love of being outside enjoying each other’s company by having a nice relaxing picnic. When you have a picnic you are celebrating the open air and nature all it has to offer. But what is the definition of picnic and how did picnicking started.
Picnics are extremely popular all throughout the spring summer and fall but during the month of July you see picnics everywhere and I do mean everywhere! One of the reasons why picnics are so popular in July is because a large number of families take their vacations in July and spend much of their time outdoors enjoying the warm weather and having picnics out of a basket or having outside picnics while grilling BBQ on the grill. Oh yeah! Love that BBQ!
Picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape. Picnics are often family-oriented but can also be an intimate occasion between two people, or a large get-together, company picnics and church picnics. Formerly, picnic meant a potluck, an entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table for all to share. But how did the word picnic came about. Wikipedia definition and history of picnic.
The word picnic is derived from the French word “pique nique” to describe an outdoor meal. The earliest versions of picnics come from the Middle Ages when members of the upper class would “dine out” during a hunt. The first record of the word “pique nique” comes from the 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Française de Ménage. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of “picnic” in English appears in 1748 in a letter from Lord Chesterfield to his son residing in Berlin, in the sense of a social gathering. ‘Picknicken’ in German means to hold a meeting. A subsequent mention occurs in a letter from Lady M. Coke to Lady Stafford in 1763. A 1738 translation of Lord Chesterfield’s letter into Swedish used “picnick” and the Swedish dictionary suggests it is of French or English origin. By the early 1800s “picnic” was used only in the sense of a social meal eaten outdoors.
After knowing this information there is another question that need answer.
How can I Celebrate National Picnic Month?
Get outside and get to grilling! Start BBQ your favorite meats and eat those side dishes such as potato salad and cole slaw.
Have a traditional Picnic! – Go find yourself a traditional straw picnic basket and fill it with all your favorite foods. Don’t forget to pack the traditional plaid blanket for the ground.
Ideas for Picnics! – Are you looking for some great ideas for better picnics or maybe some new food ideas??
How about doing a romantic and family picnics with a picnic basket and a blanket.
Outdoor games or some other form of entertainment are common at large picnics.
So during this hot weather season of July, slow down and find some time on a cooler day to have a family picnic with the people you love. Life is too short!
To learn more about eating healthy check out the Living Healthy website www.livinghealthy1.org
