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Hallingdal
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Hallingdal is a valley and traditional district in Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. The inhabitants are often called Hallings (a Halling).
Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda. Reflecting this route, Hallingdal and its neighboring valley of Valdres were originally populated by migrants from Vestlandet and spoke a western dialect.
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Encyclopedia
Hallingdal is a valley and traditional district in Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. The inhabitants are often called Hallings (a Halling).
Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda. Reflecting this route, Hallingdal and its neighboring valley of Valdres were originally populated by migrants from Vestlandet and spoke a western dialect. The actual migration routes are hard to map, and the migrants may have blended with local hunters from the mountains around the valley. In recognition of this, Cardinal Nicholas Breakespear, who was in Scandinavia as papal legate in 1153, included these two valleys in the Diocese of Stavanger.
From early on, Hallingdal prospered from trading with iron, produced from local marshlands, and developed trading routes throughout the iron age. In later centuries, the hallingdal farmers traded cattle over the mountains from west to east. Many known locals were involved in this trade. As the soil in the valley could be barren, trading was necessary for life support. In Norway, Hallings reportedly have a knack for trading even today.
Hans Gude's parents lived in Hallingdal until 1852, and Gude painted many of his works there.
The name
The Old Norse form of the name was Haddingjadalr. The first element seem to be the genitive case of a male name Haddingi, the last element is dalr m 'valley, dale'. The first element is also connected to the word hadr, meaning hair.
(In Flateyjarbók is a man Haddingr mentioned as the king of Hallingdal. Compare with the first element in > Gudbrandsdal.)
Local Culture
Hallingdal has developed its own brand of the rosemaling, with a distinct symmetric style, different from the style in Telemark and Valdres. The valley also fostered a number of known painters during the 18th and 19th century.
The music of Hallingdal is traditionally dominated by the hardanger fiddle, which was taken into use from c. 1750. The dance tunes of the valley have a distinct pattern, following three different lines of tradition, one in the south, at Nes, and two in the area of Ål. The tunes from Ål are recognized by a distinct rolling on the fiddle-bow, and the tunes are fairly old.
From early on, Hallingdal also developed a tradition for langeleik, partly replaced by the fiddle. The folk music tradition is held alive even today in the valley.
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