International Picnic Day is celebrated on June 18. Happy Picnic Day!
Today is International Picnic Day! Yes, there is such a day and it has a history as well. Picnics are unique and wonderful childhood memories for many of us as these family events have become few and far between amid the covid pandemic. International Picnic Dayis a great time for outdoor family get-togethers or even planning a picnic for a later day. The recipe for a perfect picnic is planning ahead. Picnics are one of the simplest ways of killing monotony and it does not always have to be a big gathering. One can set out alone with a picnic basket with some finger food, mat and pillow, napkins, favourite beverages and of course a nice book to read. Check out these five picnic essentials.
5 Picnic essentials
- Choosing the perfect picnic spot: The proverbial picnic spot and deciding how you will reach there is important. A great idea is to hop on to your bicycle and everyone carrying a basket each.
- Planning picnic munchies: Picnic food is perhaps the biggest part of the event and preparing them has to be stress free. Some of the best traditional picnic favourites include sandwiches, pies, puffs, cup cakes, scotch eggs, fries and crisps. Something complimentary to wash it down with is a must.
- A mix of picnic games and music: Games make picnics enjoyable. One can have a mix of board games like scrabble or ludo, picnic bowling, flying disks and treasure hunt. There are a huge number of games to choose from and music is a must.
- Plenty of toss pillows, mats, cloth napkins and interesting serving plates: Picnics are meant for relaxing as well and so mats and cushions are essential.
- Pleasant weather: Planning a picnic means keeping track of the local weather so that spending the day outdoors is a pleasant experience.
The origin of picnics is not clear. Eating a meal outdoor became popular sometime in the 19th Century. The French called it 'pique-nique', "a social event, usually held indoors, where guests would each turn up with a contribution for the meal ahead, either an entire course, a dish or a monetary contribution," according to a BBC article tracing the origins of the picnic.
Happy International Picnic Day!