Bosnian Grains of Destiny

 

It is believed that the Balkan word “gatanje” (fortune-telling) originates from Sanskrit, from the word “gad” (gadāmi), meaning “to speak.” In Bosnia, however, among the Bosniak people, the term “ogledati” is much more common and can be translated as “to observe” or “to analyze.” This is an appropriate name since it vividly describes a person who predicts fate by analyzing the position of cards or beans. Another popular word is “falanje”, from which the term “faletati” (to divine) derives.

It can be confidently stated that the foundation of all forms of divination is based on the fatalistic belief in destiny — something that must happen, predetermined by divine will before a person’s birth. For example, in Bosnia, it is believed that Allah determines every person’s entire fate during the first forty days after conception, while still an embryo in the mother’s womb. At this point, human curiosity intervenes — the deep desire to know, even a little, what Allah has decreed for one’s life.

Naturally, people try to perceive divine signs in everything, which has resulted, even since antiquity, in the appearance of many divinatory methods. Each of these seeks, in its own way, to lift the veil of mystery before human eyes and reveal fragments of destiny.

The famous Persian poet Ferdowsi (Hakīm Abu’l-Qāsim Firdawsī Tūsī) beautifully described destiny as almighty and irresistible. In his Shahnameh, the Iranian national epic, he writes how Suhrab loses his life by his father’s sword, for “it was written upon his forehead by the command of relentless fate!”

It is known that Persians were masters of palmistry and coffee reading, but among them — particularly among the Bakhtiari nomadic tribes — a type of fortune-telling identical to the Bosnian falanje u grah (bean reading) is practiced. It is called “nakhoud fal” or “divination with chickpeas.” The only difference, as the name suggests, is that instead of white beans, the local fortune-tellers use 41 chickpeas. Traditionally, elder women and men have used them for centuries to reveal destiny and predict the future for those who seek their guidance.

As expected, the Persian nomads added a religious aspect to this practice. In most homes and tents, among women smoking hookahs, one can hear the fortune-teller reciting prayers, invoking Allah’s mercy as she arranges the chickpeas on a cloth. The custom spread quickly throughout Iran, and until recently, in almost every city, one could find dozens of people publicly engaged in divination. Some minor variations existed depending on the region — for example, in Sirjan, in the south, the chickpeas were laid out on an overturned sieve used instead of a table. Before beginning the reading, the fortune-teller would pray to God, starting with a blessing for the Prophet Muhammad, followed by the first Qur’anic prayer and Surah Al-Ikhlas, the prayer glorifying monotheism.

Interestingly, Bosnian fortune-tellers also have the habit of giving the client a handful of beans to hold and recite the first Qur’anic prayer (Al-Fatiha), dedicating it to Hazrat Fatima, before placing the beans on a red cloth, where the faladžinica (Bosnian seer) takes over. The symbolism of this ritual gesture is not only in the act of offering the Fatiha to the souls of the deceased — in this case, to Hazrat Fatima, who is considered the patron of bean divination — but also in the magical belief that her prayer opens the gates of the unseen world, the one believed to reveal the secrets of the future.

Another similarity between Iranian and Bosnian folklore is found in the connection of Hazrat Fatima directly to this act of divination. In Iran, a legend tells how one day Fatima lost her children, Hassan and Hussein, and, desperate to find them, she used chickpeas for guidance. She succeeded — and her gift for divination became legendary. In her honor, as a reflection of respect from all other fortune-tellers, the central vertical row represents Fatima, while the right and left rows represent Hassan and Hussein.

The Method of Chickpea Division and the Reading of Destiny

The method of separating a group of chickpeas into three smaller piles, from which four grains are then taken at a time to form three rows, is identical to the Bosnian tradition.

When the falgir (fortune-teller) arranges the chickpeas into three rows (a total of nine “houses”), the layout of the vertical columns is determined as follows:

• the right column represents the client (C–F–I),

• the middle column represents his home (B–E–H),

• and the left column symbolizes enemies (A–D–G).

A – B – C  
D – E – F  
G – H – I

The reading of destiny begins with the interpretation of the first horizontal row, that is, the three “houses” (A–B–C), where there can be a total of 5 or 9 grains.
If the first horizontal row contains five chickpeas in total, it is an excellent sign, especially if one grain is on the right side: 221 or 311. Such a number is called “Al-Abba” and is considered the most favorable of all.

Likewise, if the first horizontal row shows the number 333, it is called “Hazrat Nuh” – a symbol of success and marriage.
If the third row contains 444, it is called “The Twelve Imams,” and it signifies great luck and divine blessing for the person whose fortune is being revealed. The client’s wish will be fulfilled, the work will be completed successfully, and love will be returned.

Although in the Bosnian version of bean reading, the vertical 111 has a negative meaning, among Iranians it is quite the opposite — all these combinations foretell the fulfillment of wishes or plans.
However, there are also numbers with an entirely opposite meaning, such as 234, called “the spindle.” Wherever it appears, vertically or horizontally, it warns the client to postpone his plans, otherwise disappointment and failure await him.

In Iran, this form of divination is believed to have 64 possible configurations — numerological combinations of chickpeas — each with a distinct meaning. Those not mentioned in this text, according to Iranian fortune-tellers, are not fatalistic or unlucky, but they are unstable and uncertain, and cannot be relied upon to bring happiness or the fulfillment of a wish.
Perhaps this is why it is customary, at the end of each session, to wash all chickpeas in water before the next divination, to remove any negative energetic trace they may carry.

Before 1979, in Tehran, chickpea divination was one of the public professions practiced openly on the square around the Shah Mosque, where women fortune-tellers sat and offered their services for a small fee.
Even today, this described method remains a popular activity among women during pilgrimages to Shahrbānū, where men are not allowed to enter, and women can freely devote themselves to their own spiritual hobbies.

Finally, it should be emphasized that divination with 41 grains is a widespread practice across an exceptionally vast geographic area — extending from Bosnia (the Balkans) through Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Iran, and ending in India.
For this reason, it can be viewed as a sociological phenomenon that, in its essence, connects diverse cultures and religions in a remarkably unique way.