The Dala Horse…………….……

…………………..……From Sweden

 
This is a handicraft from Nils Olsson Dalahästar in Nusnäs, Sweden. It was a special gift from Kersko and her husband when they visited us in Motueka, NZ recently.

The following has been taken from a brochure which came with this horse and a website for Nils Olsson

“Dalarna is a county in Sweden where traditions are passed on with the love of the craft. The horses are made of Swedish pine and scored by hand, just in the same way as they have been produced for centuries. 
Each horse is therefore unique. The horse is painted with a traditional pattern originating from the 1830s.

The origin of this craft is traced back to the lumberjacks’ log-cabins as early as the 18th century. There they would sit around the open fires during winter, resting after the days tree-felling and transporting logs. They often relaxed by carving figures from odd pieces of wood.

The popular choice was a horse and these were taken home to the children in the villages. A horse represented a creature of great value, a tower of strength in helping the family. 

During the 19th century it became custom to paint the wooden horses with richly coloured flower patterns like those Dala paintings that decorated furniture and interior walls.

Wooden horses came originally from the Mora villages of Vattnas, Risa, Bergkarlas and Nusnas.
In 1928 the brothers Nils and Jannes Olsson took up the old handicraft. Nils was 15, Jannes 13 years old. Since then the genuine Dala horses have been made in the workshop, but in surrounding villages many people are fully occupied with carving horses to be collected and delivered to Nusnas, where decorating takes place. The authentic handicraft continues as before”

So, a very special horse and a gift I will always treasure. Thank you Kersko.

Thank you for the comments, stars and hearts for yesterday’s ‘wispy softness’. Each is very much appreciated. Once again, my apologies for the lack of comments this evening. I will catch up with your journals tomorrow.