The Dala horse stands for strength, dignity, and steadfast work, carrying generations of gratitude toward the horses that shared farm life. Today it is cherished as a token of simple Swedish happiness and a wish for a safe, warm home.
The Dala horse is a carved wooden horse from Sweden's Dalarna province, first whittled around the seventeenth century by forest workers passing long winter nights making toys for their children. Painted the signature falu red and decorated with flowing kurbits flower patterns, it became Sweden's national emblem after a giant Dala horse greeted visitors at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
The Dala horse stands for strength, dignity, and steadfast work, carrying generations of gratitude toward the horses that shared farm life. Today it is cherished as a token of simple Swedish happiness and a wish for a safe, warm home.
It typically stands on a windowsill or shelf as a beloved piece of home decor, and many collect the horses in graduating sizes. Given at housewarmings and weddings, it carries wishes of luck and stability.