18.06.2021

Thematic selection of items from the museum exposition for the World Sauntering Day

World Sauntering Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually in the middle of June. Various sources indicate two dates for its celebration - June 15 or 19. The purpose of celebration is to encourage people to slow down and enjoy life, not rush blindly through it. The word “sauntering “means slow and relaxed walking, without haste and effort. Sometimes this holiday is called "a day of outdoor recreation".

The holiday was initiated in 1979 by the publicist Wilmer T.W. Rabe (1921-1992) responding to the growing popularity of jogging. The idea behind the day was to encourage people to slow down. W.T. Rabe feared that people might forget how to relax and appreciate the world around them. This is how the idea of establishing the World Sauntering Day appeared. Sauntering means just a slow walk, preferably in a joyful mood.

The need for slowness was the primary focus of many naturalist writers - Henry David Thoreau and John Burroughs were among them. Sauntering does not just mean walking how you might if you were on your way to work. It also encompasses the idea that the weight of the world was lifted from your shoulders. You walk free from stress and strain and can focus on the pure joy of the act. It is the antithesis of jogging – a painful act that robs you of your experience of the outside world. It is more meditative and contemplative. Sauntering Day is your opportunity to head out into the world and approach it with deeply relaxed air, a moment of pure clarity and joy, all while enjoying the beautiful world around you and everything it has to offer.

Give yourself plenty of time today, and do so with the intent of relaxing and truly enjoying your journey to wherever it is you have to go. Saunter casually with pure relaxation, and take in the scents and sights. Greet others, and do not let their urge to move quickly infect yours. In fact, see if you can get them to slow down and join you on your happy little saunter. The world will be better for it, and you will be happier for it. Sauntering Day is your opportunity to leave all the rush behind and just… Saunter… through your day. Celebrate by sauntering whenever you are going somewhere during the day. Saunter at your job, saunter at school, and saunter when walking to the store. It was the desire to emphasize the importance and accessibility of this simple way to distract, at least for a short time, from the problems and fuss that pushed the initiators and activists to celebrate the International Sauntering Day every year.

Proponents of Walking Day refer to all humanity with an appeal to go out into nature and spend more time outdoors not only on June 19, but throughout the year as well. The advantages of walking include its accessibility for everyone - you just need to find time and decide on a place.

Celebrate Sauntering Day by standing still for a moment or slowing down. Not only will you feel invigorated, but also you may spot things you would not have noticed otherwise – the birds singing, the flowers blooming, or the love of your life brushing past you in the street.

Below are items from the museum Collection exposition, which depict people walking leisurely:
Musical automaton picture. Germany. Circa 1850;
Snuffbox with mosaic composition. Switzerland - snuffbox; Italy - micromosaic, Geneva - snuffbox; Rome - micromosaic. 1836; mosaic – 1835. Bautte&Co.;
Bonbonniere with miniatures. France, Paris. 1784-1785. Jacques Varrier;
Louis XVI snuffbox with miniatures. France, Paris. 1780-1782. Pierre-Francois Mathis de Beaulieu;
Musical automaton pictureGermany. Circa 1850;
Snuffbox with a rural landscape and fountain. Hanau or Geneva. Circa 1805;
Musical picture hour striking wall clockFrance. Circa 1839.

More items featuring landscapes and people sauntering around are in the collection sections "Snuffboxes and Cigarette Cases", "Mechanical Birds and Singing Bird Boxes", "Musical Boxes", "Clocks and Objects with Movement", "Paintings and Miniatures", "Photos".