Mongkon is made of holy ceremonial threads or clothes blessed by a monk who has expertise in incantation. They would be either braided or wrapped with more holy threads, then shaped into a circular headband with a tail end and covered with another layer of blessed cloth.
Mongkon is a kind of charm worn for good fortune and protection from dangers. In the past, fighters wore it during their fights. Some of them even wore two mongkons at the same time. There was a tradition regarding the wearing of mongkon in a fight: if a mongkon that one wore fell off during a fight, his opponent would stop the action and let him pick up his auspicious headband before resuming the fight, no attacking in the meantime. Warriors in ancient times also wore mongkons to battle fields. They would either wear it on their head or let it hang on their neck.
When not in use, mongkon would be kept in places above one’s head such as on a tall shelf or in a basket hung high on a wall of a prayer room. Doing so is a way to maintain the blessing in the traditional headwear – it is believed that all the spell put on the band will deteriorate when someone walks over it.