A Swedish Dalahäst in the UAE
Follow the journey of the Swedish Dalahäst in the UAE
The history of the Dala horse
A Dalahäst or Dala horse as it would be called internationally is a typical symbol of Sweden. It is the most bought Swedish souvenir. It is a stylised wooden horse most commonly found in red with a typical folk-art decoration called kurbits. The name comes from the horse's home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden. Most popular are the red-orange horses from the little village of Nusnäs near Mora.
Dala Horses first appeared with their familiar bright decoration in the 1800s when the kurbit, or flower-patterned saddle, was regularly added to them. This design comes from the Biblical story in which Jonah sat outside the city of Ninevah and the Lord caused a Kurbit, or gourd vine, to grow up beside him to protect him from the desert sun.
During the planning phase for the Swedish National Day 2021 the Swedish Business Council was looking for something unique to represent Sweden and what wouldn’t be more suitable than the traditional Dalahäst? And this is where the story begins…
May 2021 - K4
The creation of the Dalahäst was a project managed by K4 Fitouts of K4 Group , corporate member of SBC. Traditionally made of forest pine wood, the joinery team utilised wood and fiberglass. Paying homage to it being hand-carved, the Dalahäst was completely handmade and then finely sanded.
The painting was done by a specialist who has carefully created a bright shade of red reminiscent of the red paint produced from the copper mines of Falun. The kurbit painting of the harness and saddle was then added meticulously, with the presence of yellows and blues of the Swedish flag and complementary blues and greens.
The Dalahäst by K4 Fitouts stands 202.7 cm tall, and took a total of 3 weeks to complete.
K4 Fitouts is a Swedish Dubai-based company, and is a part of K4 Group which includes K4 Maintenance, K4 Facilities Management, and K4 Cleaning.
June 2021 - The Swedish National Day
The 6th June - The National Day of Sweden, and the Dalahäst arrived proudly at the Swedish National Day event on a truck on Sheikh Zayed Road. He was first placed in the reception area for guests to take photos with him as they arrived and right before the dinner he was carried in to stand by the stage and overlook the event. He created a great atmosphere in the ballroom. Toward the end of the evening, the Swedish Business Council donated the Dalahäst to the Swedish Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai and the career of the Dalahäst begins here.
GAC- Horse transporter
During the moves of the Dalahäst SBC has been getting help from the corporate member GAC Dubai to professionally pack and securely transport him to the next destination.
Follow the journey of the Dalahäst in the UAE starting from the bottom of the page up.
April 2024 - SBC 30 years
It was a big day for the Dalahästen, Red where he went on a journey all the way from Art Village Nursery in Dubai to the Ambassador´s Residence in Abu Dhabi where the big celerations of SBC turning 30 took place. Read more here about the event.
Red was placed at the venue to greet all the guest as they were walking down to the event venue. The nursery children were very sad to see him go, but very happy and to see him return from the party. Thank you to GAC for moving the Dalahäst.
December 2022 - Art Village Nursery
Meet the Dalahäst, also known as the Dala horse. He is our new friend here in Art Village Nursery, and we welcomed him with open arms on a beautiful morning, Tuesday 13th December. It was a very special day for us, being the only Swedish nursery in the UAE, along with the fact that he arrived on Lucia Day (an annual event that is widely celebrated in Sweden).
What an exciting surprise it was for the children of Art Village Nursery to find the Dalahäst in our nursery garden. The children gathered watching him enter and welcoming him to his new home. He joined us for a festive sing-along around the Christmas tree in celebration of Lucia Day. Lots of questions and answers took place during his time here. He sparked curiosity amongst the children and parents, which opened avenues for discovery about Sweden, Swedish culture and the history of Dalahorse. He has been a friendly face, greeting parents and children in the morning, and saying goodbye as they leave in the afternoon. We are excited to make more memories with the Dalahäst in the weeks to come!
March - December 2022 - Ella´s Eatery
The Dalahäst arrived to the Swedish-owned restaurant Ella´s Eatery on the Palm Jumeirah where he is enjoying the company of many restaurant guests while looking out onto the Marina.
The Dalahäst has spent months soaking in the gorgeous views at Ella’s overlooking both Burj Al Arab and Burj khalifa. Now it’s left and will be missed.
Here are some highlights of the time the horse was here,
1. The relentless riding the horse has been subject to by kids and adults alone! Many laughs indeed!
2. When kids have been traumatised asking Christian why doesn’t the horse have a tail? I have absolutely no idea, but that’s a great question I said! I mean does anyone know??
3. But mostly seeing the amazed faces of fellow Swedes when seeing the Dalahäst in all its glory! Maybe a small reminder of home I guess!
Until we meet again, peace out!
Team Ella’s
October 2021 to March 2022 - The Swedish Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai
It has been our pleasure to have dalahästen, the Dala horse, in The Forest during Expo 2020 Dubai. He quickly became the pavilion mascot in a way.
Dalahästens fan club started growing from day one during the inauguration of the Swedish pavilion where our guests got their first glimpse of him. The European Union were introduced to him during their first meeting which was held in the pavilion on the 2nd October, a true phenomenon for our European colleagues who are unfamiliar with the Dalahäst.
During Sweden week we had his Majesty the King of Sweden, alongside presidents for our biggest Swedish companies in the pavilion. His Majesty was especially impressed by the Dalahäst, to the extent that he stopped by to great him when passing by.
Every minister we have had on a visit, whether it was a Swedish or Emirati one, has stopped by to take a picture with the Dalahäst. Each one excited and joyful.
Our partner companies have highlighted the Dalahäst, showing him off to their clients and partners during coffee and lunch breaks. Volvo Group even uploaded on their social media a picture of our deputy commissioner general, Ludvig Daver.
The Dalahäst has been a calm and relaxing element in the pavilion, with his placement right by a window looking down over the exhibition and in a passage connected to the conference section, it quickly became a meeting point for spontaneous discussions, conference calls or a coffee break overlooking the exhibition and activities on the Co-Creation stage.
When the weather allowed, we decided to share him with the pavilion visitors down on the Co-creation stage, where he spent a few days being admired by our visitors. Each one stopped by for a selfie, giving us a great opportunity to tell the story of the Dalahäst.
Everything must come to an end, as does the pavilions time with the Dalahäst. We are very grateful to have had him with us for these hectic, exciting, and fun months. We were honored and proud to had him with us during this journey.
Now it is time for the Dalahäst to move on to greater adventures, and for others to have the same experience with him as the pavilion has had. We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him again.
