Riverside flower stalls along the Ping in Mueang Chiang Mai have been packed lately, ever since “malai rat klao,” garlands tied around the hair like a scrunchie, turned into the thing every teenager in town suddenly wants. All day, groups of dressed-up teens have been showing up to pick out garlands, get them tied into their hair by the vendors on the spot, then head straight for Chan Som Bridge to pose with the river behind them.
The garlands themselves are made from a mix of rak, jasmine, gardenia, orchid and champa flowers, running 100 to 150 baht a piece. No photo is complete without a lotus bouquet as a prop, which goes for 50 to 80 baht.
Vendors say they’re struggling to keep up with the weaving.
What’s happening with “malai rat klao” is less a costume than a kind of remix — young people wearing the garlands in their hair, wrapped around an arm, tied at the waist, somewhere between old and new without picking a side.
Sorawee Yaemprasoet, a Mathayom 6 student who came with a group of friends, said she picked it up from TikTok. She likes that it feels unique and distinctly Thai, and that buying one means putting a little money back into the vendors’ hands while she’s at it.
