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One of the most popular methods of fortune-telling in Bosnia and Herzegovina is certainly divination

with beans. The origin of this technique comes from Turkey, where there is an equivalent method
called “fasulya fali” or “kumalak fali”. Among the people there are stories that demised Hazrat Fatima
secretly performed divination with beans, hiding it from her father Muhammad. On one occasion while
Hazrat Fatima predicted the fate of her friend in the room suddenly entered Mohammed. Hazrat
Fatima in shock and rush managed to hide under her dress only half of the beans, which were located
in front her, therefore since then it is believed that in every divination lies half truth and half lie. It is
interesting that one combination of divination is named after her name – “Hazrat Fatima fal”. It is a
combination of 333, which represents happiness, marriage and the fulfillment of whish. 

In Bosnia, a person dealing with the divination in the beans is called “faladžija* or *faladžinica* if it is a
female person. For divination in the beans fortune teller needs the red patch on which he or she lines
up 41 grains of white beans. Before she starts placing the beans on the patch she takes the beans into
the right fist , places the fist close to her mouth and recites the prayer: “Rabbi jesir tu'asir, rabbi
temmim bil-Hajr” three times and then blows into her fist three times.

Then she divides the beans into three smaller piles and from each takes the four seeds making a
figure of three rows with nine beans pile where each individual pile can have 1, 2, 3 or 4 seed. The left
vertical line represents a female person and the right male person. The vertical line in the middle is
called the house or heart. In addition, females and males lines are divided into three symbols: the
head, arms, legs and the line in the middle is divided on: the cushion, fireplace and doors.  
The method of divination in the bean is extremely broad and requires much effort and space for an
explanation, however there are several shorter versions of divination which people mostly use to get
the answer to a specific question. 

In simpler form of divination 38 grains of white beans is used a piece of bread, one coffe grain and a
metal coin. Before deviation can begin a grain of bean is highlighted in red paint which will represent
the person who asks the questions in the process of the divination. Then the fortune teller takes all
beans into her hand and person who has come for the fortune telling raises the question she would
like to have answered. After that fortune teller blows into her fist and throws the beans on the
floor. With this is the first part of the divination is completed. After that the analysis of the position
taken by a grain marked in red starts. If the grain fell nearer to the piece of bread it represents a
symbol of happiness - the wish will be fulfilled, in love ones will marry, work will progress and etc.

On the other hand if the red bean fell nearer to the coin, that person can expect the cash gains in near
future. If the bean falls close to the grain of coffee it's a bad sign, which represents trouble, tears, or at
least unfortunate event. This sign also represents a negative answer to asked question.

Raif Esmerović
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