Dala Horse

This Swedish Dala Horse wants to travel from California back home to Sweden! He really wants to visit the sites in Stockholm so anyone going there or living there, please be a good tourist guide for him! Lots of pictures would be appreciated!

THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN THE STORY OF THE DALA HORSE:

It was quite natural that it became a horse. You can trace the origin of this craft back to the Swedish lumberjacks' log-cabins as early as the 18th century Sweden.
There they would sit round the open fires during winter, resting after the days tree-felling and transporting logs. Having prepared and eaten their meal, checked over their tools, they often relaxed by carving figures from odd pieces of wood.

The popular choice was a horse, these were taken home to the children in the villages, they became much treasured toys for play both in and out of doors. A horse represented a creature of great value, a tower of strength in helping the family. It provided transport and was invaluable in its strength as a helper around the farm. Children really enjoyed their company, they could ride bare-back and many were able to sit on a broad strong back at the same time.
During the 19th century it became custom to paint the wooden horses with richly coloured flowers patterns like those Dala paintings that decorated furniture and interior walls. Those who travelled about the country to sell products of the cottage industry, baskets, grinding stones, wooden casks, took Dala horses to add to their selection of goods. The latter were often used as payment for board and lodging. Wooden horses came originally from the Mora villages of Vattnäs, Risa, Bergkarlås and Nusnäs.

The most well known carver from the old days was Tysk Anders Gunnarsson, known as "Gambel Damben". 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 here in the workshop, but in surrounding villages many people are fully occupied with carving horses to be collected and delivered to Nusnäs, where decorating takes place. This authentic handicraft continues as before.