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).

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.

There are different designs used to create phuang malai – 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).

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 – 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 right– so it’s a wonderful mindfulness practice.

According to www.hope-rehab-center-thailand.com