Malai Uba: The Elegance of Movement
In Thai floral craft, an Uba is a strand of flowers threaded onto a single line and hung as a pendant from the end of a phuang malai, the corners of a ceremonial frame or the rim of an offering tray. It gives the whole piece its movement and grace.
To offer a Malai Uba is to offer that grace on its own. It carries a wish for good fortune to settle around the person who receives it,
It is made to be hung on a spirit house or in an office. Malai Uba brings auspicious energy into the space around us and keeps a quiet reminder of it in view.
Product details
- Handmade in Asha village, Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Materials: cotton
- Length: 40 cm
- Wooden box included
- Price per piece. For a pair, please contact Nicha
- For custom colours, a custom length or bulk orders, please contact me for a quote
Made by Akha women
- These pieces are handmade by Akha women under the AKHA MA-DE social programme
- Every time you buy from us, you directly support and create opportunity for these women
Bulk orders and workshops
- For bulk orders, please contact us.
Contact me
- You can reach us any time through Messenger, Instagram or the "Contact Us" page
Delivery:
- During the Mother's Day period, delivery within Thailand takes around 5 to 7 working days
- Outside the Mother's Day season and pre-order campaigns, delivery takes 10 to 20 working days
- Because our products are handmade, delivery times can vary with the number of orders being processed
- For urgent orders (a birthday, a wedding, a religious celebration), please reach us on Facebook, Instagram or by email here
- For international delivery, please contact us
Returns and exchanges:
We accept returns and exchanges:
- Please contact us within 7 days of delivery
- Send the item back within 14 days of delivery
Return conditions:
- The buyer covers return shipping when the reason for dissatisfaction is not caused by a third party. If the returned item does not arrive in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for the loss in value of the item.
* Product photographs are for presentation purposes and may differ from the actual product. Because screens vary, product colours may appear different from those shown on your display.
** Please allow a difference of 1 to 2 cm, as each piece is handmade and measured by hand.
How do you care for an uba?
Caring for your uba is what keeps it beautiful and keeps it looking new for years. Hung in a home, an office or on a spirit house, it deserves attention. Here is how to look after yours properly.
- Handle it gently. Always treat the strand with a light touch. Cotton is delicate and damages easily. Keep handling to a minimum.
- Keep it out of direct sunlight. Direct sun fades cotton. Hang your uba somewhere dry and out of the full sun.
- Keep it dry. Damp causes mould and mildew, which damages cotton. Avoid hanging it anywhere with high humidity.
- Dust it regularly. Dust settles on cotton and makes a piece look dull. Brush it lightly with a soft brush or a cloth to lift dust and cobwebs away.
Cared for properly, your uba stays beautiful in its place for many years.
See our other garlands
Meet our Malai Glin Rak, our scented hanging garland, and our Malai Cuty, a petite garland in dried flowers and cotton.
What is an uba?
In Thai floral craft, an uba is made by threading flowers onto a single strand, or by binding several strands together into one hanging tassel. Traditionally it is built from three parts: the dok tum at the very bottom, the dok krop threaded above it, and the dok suam above that.
An uba is rarely the whole piece. It hangs from the end of a phuang malai, from the corners of a ceremonial frame, or around the rim of an offering tray, and it is the element that makes Thai fresh-flower work move and catch the eye. Our Malai Uba takes that traditional strand and makes it in cotton, so it keeps its shape and its colour instead of lasting a single day.
Where to hang your Malai Uba
An uba is made to hang, and where you hang it is part of its meaning.
On a spirit house, it is an offering that stays, a daily mark of respect rather than one made for a single occasion. In an office, hung by the entrance or above a desk, it is there to invite good fortune into the work done in that room. In a library or a study, it brings a calm, auspicious presence to a place meant for thinking.
Because it is sold per piece, you can hang one alone or order two for a matching pair on either side of a doorway or an altar.
Malai Uba: a gift that keeps its place
Giving a Malai Uba is a way of wishing someone good fortune in the place where they live or work. It suits a housewarming, a new office, a shop opening, or a thank you to someone who would rather receive something lasting than something for the day.
Handcrafted in cotton by Akha women in Chiang Rai, the Malai Uba carries a traditional Thai form into a piece that stays beautiful for years.