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Phuang Malai – The Thai Flower Garland

Phuang Malai тАУ The Thai Flower Garland

The topic at a glance

By Paul G.

Phuang Malai is the local name for a flower garland that you will almost certainly see during your stay in Thailand. This symbol for luck and respect is found everywhere тАУ you will see hanging from the rear-view mirrors in motor vehicles, placed at shrines, and most business premises will have phuang malai (sometimes shortened to simply тАШmalaiтАЩ) hanging around somewhere. These garlands are made from fresh flowers daily, and you will see them on sale at markets, street stalls, and almost any red traffic lights that has a decent amount of traffic (they usually cost 20 THB).

Alon smelling at a Thai flower garland (Phuang Malai).

Meaning of Phuang Malai

In Thai, the word phuang means a тАШstringтАЩ or тАШbunchтАЩ and тАШmalaiтАЩ means тАШgarlandтАЩ. We have to be careful when talking about тАШphuang malaiтАЩ though because these same words can also mean тАШsteering wheelтАЩ.

To avoid confusion, it is best to specify тАШphuang malai rot yonтАЩ when talking about a steering wheel (rot yon means motor vehicle). There are different theories as to why the steering wheel is called тАШphuang malaiтАЩ тАУ it may have something to do with its resemblance to a popular garland that has a round shape like a bracelet.

Purpose of Phuang Malai

It is impossible to know exactly when local people first developed their love for phuang malai, but these garlands were definitely in common use around the time of King Rama V (mid-nineteenth century). Back then, the ability to create these beautiful garlands earned great honour, and it was expected that all women of the Thai royal court mastered this skill.

Nowadays, phuang malai are used for many purposes including:

A street vendor selling Phuang Malai flower garland to waiting drivers at the stop light.

There are different designs used to create phuang malai тАУ but the main difference is that some are designed in a way that it can be worn like a bracelet while others are designed to be draped around the neck or another object (malay song chai).

Create Your Own Phuang Malai

Making your own phuang malai can be a nice thing to do, and it is a way to express your artistic side. You will need some flowers, ribbon, a needle, and cotton thread. The idea is to carefully push the thread through the flowers тАУ the exact way you do this will depend on your design. The ribbon is used to connect different chains of flowers. You will need to be patient and focused if you want to do this rightтАУ so itтАЩs a wonderful mindfulness practice.

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