FORTUNE TELLING IN COFFEE CUP

The desire to foretell the future is as old as mankind itself. The fear of the unknown and generally, man's need to influence fate has led to various forms of fortunetelling which served to foretell the outcome of some disease, to find a thief, to find out the sex of the baby, to find out whether the year will be fruitful, to find out if a couple will get married, etc.

According to the beliefs in Bosnia the ideal day for fortunetelling, especially with the help of beans or coffee, is Tuesday. This is because it is believed that Tuesday is the day of magic when each spell has a stronger effect and each fortunetelling is more accurate.



To foretell the future using coffee, it is necessary to fulfil a few simple conditions. First, the coffee cannot be express coffee but "Bosnian coffee" so that the cup will contain a lot of sediment. The coffee should be drank hot and without sugar.

When the coffee is finished, the person that wants its future foretold, places some money under the saucer and spins the cup three times clockwise and covers it with the saucer. After that one places his/her index finger from his/her right hand on the cup and in his/her mind he/she must make a wish or think about a specific person. The side of the cup from which the client drank is considered to be a representation of him, whilst the opposite side is considered to represent a person of the opposite sex. The bottom of the cup is a symbol of a home and all the symbols that are found on that part signify events inside the family.

Before the fortune teller starts, he/she first checks the situation of the entire cup. If the space around the handle of the cup is empty and without any sediment, it is believed that the person is unhappy in love affairs or is in a bad financial situation.

If the bottom of the cup is filled with sediment that signifies a period of prosperity while an empty bottom signifies a bad financial situation, a departure or a trip.

Bosnian fortune tellers pay specific attention to interpretation of individual symbols and they connect them with other symbols in their vicinity. Of course, there are some other important symbols that every fortune teller pays specific attention to. If there happens to be three identical symbols inside the cup, then that signifies great pleasure...

The following represents some interpretations that Bosnian fortune tellers use during their fortune telling using coffee:

Angel- joy, a wish coming true

Aeroplane- mail, news

Car- happiness

Bull- wealth, money

Old woman- sorrow, sickness

Numbers: 1- decision, 2-sickness, 3-date, 4-you must be patient, 5-worry...

Flowers: you are in an advantageous period

Pigeon: mail, news

Lizard: change, new beginning

Piano: you will receive an important message

Umbrella- you will meet an old love partner

Wolf: tears and sorrow because of jealousy

Moon: feast, a wish will come true

Bear: sickness

Mouse: beware of a theft

Knife: an end of a relationship or marriage

Eagle: an advantageous change or move

Frog: you will be a victim of someone's scheme and intrigue

Dots: large dots in the cup always symbolise favourable news. Large dot on the bottom of the cup: pregnancy in the family

Pregnant woman: monetary gain, present

Horse: a victory in court or in sports

Chicken: others are slandering you

Pyramid: trouble with a court or the law

Dog: stable relationship or marriage, loyal friend

Ring: marriage

Heron: pregnancy

Fish: worry, disease

Letters: A-new beginning or a new job, T- stress, F-love...

Heart: the best symbol in love fortune telling. This is a sign of love. If the heart symbol is white then it signifies true feelings

Deer: an important conversation with your partner

Cat: a black cat is a symbol of hatred, someone doesn't like you. A white cat warns you to be careful with blandishment and mellifluous words

Bird: a symbol for news

Parrot: you will meet a person who speaks two languages or is a stranger

Spider: be careful of your pride and stubbornness

Rifle or a gun: stress, anger

Dragon: you are prone to saving and keeping money

Snake: enemy, adversary in love

Rabbit: you are having problems sleeping

Squirrel: lack of confidence or bravery

Cross: argument, fight

Fox: be careful or lies and hoaxes

Glasses: you will meet a new person...

At the end of every fortune telling the client presses his finger on the bottom of the cup and makes a wish so that the fortune teller can see if it will come true. The sediment that remains on the finger of a female client is placed under her tongue so that her man says her name often and that he thinks about her often.

Fortune telling for marriage: When a girl comes to someone's house for coffee for the first time, she needs to steal a lump of sugar in a manner that no one notices it, and then when she goes to sleep she should place that lump under her pillow. That night she will have a dream about the man that she will marry.

The Bosniaks are known by their countrymen as lovers of leisure and conversation. Bosniaks, regardless of age or sex, enjoy group activity and may eat, drink and converse with each other for many hours at a time. Men as a rule associate in cafes, while women visit each other in their homes, accepting frequent offers to join a coffee break which sets the stage for the old custom of coffee-ground divination or falanje u kahvu.

Bosniaks make their coffee in the Turkish style. The rich, fragrant brew is drunk from demitasse cups or the more traditional handleless "fildžan". The thick coffee grounds which settle to the bottom of the cup form intricate patterns when the cup is inverted, the custom when the drinker has had his fill. But the coffee break does not stop there. lndeed, from the moment the coffee is poured, the divination begins, a long process which extends and enhances the coffee-drinking session.

Bosnian coffee-ground divination is typically a three-part process. As mentioned, the divination begins as soon as the coffee is poured. Each cup gets a bit of foam, "kajmak", which rises to the top of the coffee pot in the brewing process. Sometimes the foam forms a ring or heart which float upon the coffee, and these symbols are interpreted variously — as signs of a gift or love, respectively. While the coffee is being drunk, divination subsides and conversation rules. One by one drinkers invert their cups, signaling that they've had their fill and anticipate a round of fortune telling.
Within minutes after a cup is inverted, the grounds trickle down and patterns take shape. The inspection of these designs form the major body of coffee divination.

Sometimes the grounds that flow out of the cup onto a tray or saucer may first be examined and interpreted. Beginning with the most obvious symbols, a good fortune teller can weave a narrative combining insights into an individual's character and the events that await him. Even if there is no real fortune teller among them, most men and women can interpret at least a few symbols to be able to muse over each other's cups.

Symbols representing death, illness and misfortune are usually minimized or disregarded if the least bit hazy. On the other hand, the slightest resemblance of a favorable sign is highly prized. Unmarried girls are generally preoccupied with love and will single out symbols which foreshadow rendevous (the numbers 3 and 7), kisses (coffee smudges on outside of cup), fidelity (dog), and the universal symbols of love – hearts and arrows. Cigarettes invariably accompany coffee and Bosnian girls may manipulate the butts of their cigarettes in hopes that they will reveal the initials of a boy who loves them. The wooden matches used to light cigarettes are also sources of divination. The way they burn are said to reveal whether one's sweetheart is true or loves another.


Married and older individuals are concerned with their children, the material well-being of their family, and their children, the material well-being of their family, and their relationships with their neighbors. Coveted symbols are those representing material gain (a thick clump of coffee grounds), happiness (the sun, letters M, R and S), physical strength (elephant), and steadfast friends (horse). Unfavorable signs are snakes, which represent enemies; fish, standing for worry and anxiety; a camel, meaning a burden of sorrow, doubled if there are two humps.

Aside from these isolated symbols, close examination of grounds may reveal picture- like scenes depicting people and events. Further, the patterns of grounds are interpreted as photograph negatives. White figures are said to be black, and black areas, which are the coffee grounds themselves, are said to be white. Thus, a dark figure (cluster of grounds) may represent a blond individual. Odd numbers are considered lucky, but even ones are unfavorable.

The final stage of coffee-ground divination is the making of wishes. With a finger, an individual presses any area in the cup covered by ground, usually the bottom, and makes a wish. If the pressure leaves a full circle when the finger is withdrawn, the wish is said to become true. Sometimes the statement of fulfillment is qualified by a symbol or picture that the pressure may form, and any such signs are appropriately interpreted. For example, a wish for a letter may come true if there is a full circle, but not before five days are up if there is a number five within the circle.


Generally, three wishes are granted. Only one wish may be made, but any second wish must be followed by a third. Again, odd numbers are favored. When the wish is work, the index finger is used, while the middle finger is associated with family matters, and the ring finger means love. Any or all three fingers may be used in succession. Many people ignore these distinctions, using any finger for all wishes. When the wish-making is over the fortune telling is complete and the coffee break has finally come to an end. Aside from the procedures mentioned above, there are many superstitions connected with the coffee ritual. Coffee is never poured with the left hand. An individual must drink only from his own cup and invert it himself to make the fortune valid, though he must never attempt to tell his own fortune. Fortunes should not be told more than once a day, and no more than three wishes may be made during a session.