Art and Culture / Floral Arrangements
No one can spend much time in Thailand without encountering the ephemeral but exquisite art of Thai floral decoration, whether in the form of an intricately woven wreath of flowers presented like a sweetly scented piece of jewelry as a welcome gift or in the form of the even more complex creations that turn up as both table decorations and religious offerings.
The term arrangement, though often used, could be misleading to a Westerner, implying as it does a more or less natural configuration. The Thai achievement, on the other hand, is actually to turn flowers into beautiful objects that have no counterpart in nature but rather proudly proclaim the artistic skills of man.
Such creations can be roughly divided into three general groups. The first consists of those made by the Roi method, which means that the flowers are threaded into garlands of many types. Mostly used are colorful mixtures of jasmine, roses and other flowers. These garlands are sold outside almost every temple and shrine and they serve as offerings. Sometimes garlands are hung at the windows and doors of homes or suspended like chandeliers from the ceiling.
Second there are the Chat Phan, or bowl arrangements, which are much more elaborate. As Chat Phan, the flowers are embedded in or sewn over a mound of damp clay or sand. Traditionally in a rounded pyramidal shape resembling a lotus bud, these are among the most beautiful examples of floral art, often in dazzling geometric patterns that might easily be mistaken for multicolored porcelain.
The third group involves deftly folded banana leaves in often fantastic shapes, used in many traditional Thai ceremonies. Known as Bai Si they are found in every region of Thailand though in different designs. One kind, for example, known as Bai Si Pak Cham, has a central banana leaf cone filled with cooked rice and surmounted by a hard boiled egg, which is sometimes further adorned with a jasmine crown; surrounding this center piece are other elongated cones decorated with various flowers.
This extraordinary structure is placed in spirit houses to inspire good fortune or sometimes given as a token of respect by a student to his teacher.
Requiring both skill and aesthetic sense, such floral creations are an integral part of Thai culture, still as vividly alive today as they have been throughout the kingdom’s history.
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