Phuang Malai is the native name for a floral garland that you will almost surely see during your visit to the great country of Thailand. The phuang malai (often abbreviated to simply ‘malai‘) is a symbol of good fortune and respect. In Thailand, you may find it hanging in every place, from rear-view mirrors in cars, at shrines, and in almost every commercial establishment. It is a very common sight in Thailand.
These Phuang Malai garlands are manufactured from fresh flowers on a daily basis. In Thailand, you can purchase them everywhere. They are available at markets, street vendors, and nearly any red traffic light with a reasonable volume of traffic. These floral garlands are also not very expensive, and they usually cost around 20 THB (Thai Baht), which comes up to 44 INR in Indian currency.
Why Phuang Malai?
Well, you must be wondering why we are blabbering on and on about a type of floral garland found exclusively in Thailand, right? It’s because you can easily incorporate this style of flower garland for your wedding!
Are you bored of the same old designs and styles that are seen at every other Indian wedding? We completely resonate with the feeling, but this new style for a marriage garland will surely make up your day. Phuang Malai is a very delicate flower garland, so if you are looking for a minimalistic and modern garland for your wedding, your search can be put to a stop now!
But before you move forward with involving these garlands at your wedding, you must also know about their cultural significance and their meaning, which is exactly what we aim to provide with this blog!
Read on to learn more about this unique style of floral garland.
The Meaning Of Phuang Malai
The Thai Floral Garland, also known as Phuang Malai is a traditional Thai handicraft. In very simple terms, Phuang means ‘garland’ and Malai means ‘flower’. So, it simply means ‘a bunch of flowers’. It is a very straightforward name! But the meaning behind this lovely floral garland is not that simple, although it may seem to be. Essentially, the floral garlands were an offering or a gift for good luck. So, bringing this good luck offering to your wedding, which is a new beginning, is a lovely idea in itself!
The significance of the Phuang Malai and the cause for its offering are precisely aligned with Thai tradition. Honoring elders and showing respect for elderly relatives are the cornerstones of Thai etiquette. Thais honor their elders in a variety of ways. For instance, always greet seniors with a Wai, never stand or sit above an older, never interrupt an elder, and treat the elder as an honored visitor rather than a friend. The Phuang Malai is one of the visual symbols used by Thais to demonstrate their respect on significant occasions.
It is also said that one must never smell the Phuang Malai if one plans on offering it to someone as a gift. This is a very strict rule followed especially when it comes to offering these Thai garlands to Buddhist monks.
How Can You Make The Phuang Malai?
The Phuang Malai looks so beautiful, but it takes exactly that much amount of time and effort to string it together. You have to acquire a lot of patience to string together all the elements correctly. Making this traditional garland requires high concentration. It will also help you to exhibit your artistic side.
All you need is Flowers, ribbon, a needle, and cotton thread. The aim is to carefully push the thread between the blooms; how you do so will vary depending on your design. The ribbon is used to join the many flower chains.
Coming to the more interesting part, the Phuang Malai has very intricate detailing in its design. Although it is just a ‘bunch of flowers’ they have a very unique style. The maker uses each flower bud, petal, sepal, stem, or leaf to generate a new particular form, so it is also often called the deconstruction of flowers.
This garland design differs from any western style flower arrangement, which has more emphasis on the natural beauty of each flower. Flowers like Jasmine, Gardenia Crape Jasmine, Crown flower, Marigold, Roses, Orchid, White Champak, and Orange Jasmine leaves are commonly used for this Thai garland.
Because of its remarkable form, extended shelf life, and good significance, Dok Ruk or the crown flower is used for the Phuang Malai. In Thai, ‘Ruk’ means love and ‘Dok’ means flower, thus Dok Ruk simply means the ‘love flower’.
Where Is Phuang Malai Used?
Phuang Malai comes in a variety, depending on the occasion. Offerings to monks, wedding garlands, a hair ornament for Thai dancing, and religious ceremonies are examples of such events. These garlands are a very common sight at Thai weddings. It is believed that a couple that uses this garland shall have a long and fruitful marriage. It is indeed a lovely thing to adopt from them for our wedding festivities, isn’t it?
If you are interested in this lovely design, craft up your own. You can also look at various Indian wedding garland designs here at Flower Fashion India.