Phuang Malai Flower Garlands

Phuang malai are garlands strung on thread from fresh flowers - jasmine buds forming the body, with crown flower, rose petals and marigold worked into patterns and a tail of folded pandan or banana leaf and flowers hanging below. The craft is old and was a court accomplishment before it became universal. They are used constantly: hung on Buddha images and spirit houses, offered at shrines, given to teachers and elders as a mark of respect, hung on the rear-view mirror of taxis and buses for protection, presented at weddings and ordinations. The jasmine is picked before dawn while the buds are closed, and stringing is done by hand at market stalls and by vendors who then sell at traffic lights and roadsides through the day. A garland lasts a day or two before browning. Learning to string one properly takes practice; classes are offered at some cultural centres.

What you actually see

• The jasmine body - closed buds strung by hand as the garland's core.
• The uses - shrines, taxis, teachers, weddings and ordinations.
• The market stringing - vendors working at stalls and roadsides through the day.
• The short life - fresh for a day or two before browning.

When to go

Any time. Flower markets are busiest before dawn when the jasmine arrives. Garlands are sold at traffic lights and roadsides through the day.

Honest expectations

They last a day or two at most and do not travel. Buying from traffic-light vendors is normal but the work is poorly paid. Garlands are religious offerings as often as decorations; treating one as a souvenir misses what it is for.

Nearby

Pak Khlong Talat in Bangkok is where they are made in quantity; vendors work every town.