Handmade umbrellas have long played a role in Thai traditional life, used either in ceremonies or, more prosaically, to protect the owner from sun and rain. Probably the most famous manufacturing center today is the little village of Bor Sang, about ten energies to the craft, just as they have for at least 200 years. The umbrellas come in all sizes, from tiny ones suitable for a child to huge ones measuring two or three meters across, and in a great variety of designs.

Bamboo is used for the framework, which is then covered with a locally produced paper called sa. The latter, another characteristic northern handicraft, is made by a complex process from the bark of the paper mulberry and other trees and is wafer-thin but also extremely smoothed by hand during each application until it is taut and even. When the paper is dry, the decorations are painted on by hand in oil colors, with each artist specializing in a particular design: dragons, flowers, human figures, scenic views, etc. A final coat of clear lacquer is then sometimes applied to make the umbrella waterproof.