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FALANJE U GRAH

BOSNIAN FORTUNE TELLING WITH GRAIN OFBEANSor "throwing beans" (bacanje graha)

One of the most popular methods of fortune-telling in Bosnia and Herzegovina is certainly divination with beans or falanje u grah. Falanje or fortune telling comes from the Arabic word fal, to bode, or tefaulwhich means positive fortune telling. In Bosnia, a person dealing with the divination in the beans is called faladžija or faladžinica if it is a female person.

According to ethnological data 41 bean grains fortunetelling originates from Kazakhstan (kumalak) where from, Turks brought it to Bosnia. However, when we today analyse Kazakhstan way of bean grains divination and the one typical for Bosnia a huge disparity may be observed.

For divination in the beans fortune teller needs the red rag on which he or she lines up 41 grains of white beans. Before she starts placing the beans on the rag she takes the beans into the right fist , places the fist close to her mouth and recites the prayer: “Rabbi yesir vela tu'asir, rabbi temmim bil-hayr” three times and then blows into her fist three times.

Red colour is traditionally considered to be excellent protection from “evil eyes” that may disrupt everyone’s destiny. Besides, probably red colour has, in Bosnian fortune teller’s interpretation, power to lift their awareness to the higher level in order to perceive someone-s destiny as thorough as possible.

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.

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The group of 41 beads of white beans the fortune teller arranges three times:-The first arrangement is for the past and it symbolizes childhood and youth-The second arrangement symbolizes the clients present and the middle of his life-The third arrangement symbolizes the future, and is treated as the most important part of the complete fortune telling. It symbolizes the latter part of someone's life.

A B C D E F G H I

TEHIR or TIME

The first row (A,B,C) is called „površina“ or "the surface", and its characteristic is that it can only have an odd sum of numbers 5 or 9 beads, when compared to the second and third row. When there are five beads in the first row (212, 122, 221), and in the bottom that symbolizes time (or their) 5 groups each having four beads (or five hatmi) then that shows speed to the fortune teller, favorable progress of the situation, or as they like to say: „the beans go in your favour!" The first row symbolizes intelligence, thinking patterns, thought processes,. and that's why there is a "male" and "female" head inside and a "pillow".

The second row (D,E,F) represents emotion and the house. It can be said that the second and third row are connected while the first row is separate and independent. The one thing that most people don't know is that only in the second and third row there can be for example a combination of infidelity, loss, moving, tears but also travel, gain, etc.

The third row (G,H,I) is a symbol of the things that are outside or in front of the door. It is a symbol of movement and action which is confirmed by the male and female foot prints (or legs) and the

"threshold". The more beads there are on the threshold the more guests in the house or if there is only one bead on the threshold-the news will arrive inside the house, two beads "open door" that is the one whose fortune is foretold will travel or the like.

Tehir or time symbolizes a specific period when a prophecy might come true, for example, if there are five groups that have four beads in the "time" row, that means that the foretold will come about soon, if there are four groups each having four beads then the client has to be patient because the prophecy will not come about soon, etc. Fortune telling of four groups each having four beads is called „hatma“.

Besides this, each fortune teller with beans can foretell for three types of persons-girlfriend, wife, widow or boyfriend, husband, widower. For example, if a married person receives the "Hazrat Fatima fal" it is not interpreted as to the other groups. While to the other groups it foretells marriage, to the married ones it foretells divorce or the like.

When fortune telling is performed in order to get the answers regarding someone’s health or even more concrete; whether certain person will get well or die certain numbers in 3 rows are monitored and analysed. Since every fortune telling is repeated for 3 times (past, present, future) hence the final answer is obtained in the third round.

The example in which bean grains announce death to the sick person follows:

3 1 11 1 21 2 14444444

1 1 31 1 24 2 2

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444444

1 2 22 1 1 2 2 4444444

In Bosnian way of bean grains fortune telling particular attention is committed to the interpretation of each grain positioning. Direction in which the grain is directed, its horizontal or vertical position, whether one grain is attached to another, or tree or more, is very important data in the process. An example concerning one love couple follows:

1. Woman is burdened with love relationship and displays serious insecurity. She easily gets angry with the man and then she terminates communication with him.2. Man and woman are together.3. Man has got similar temper as woman he gets angry easily and than he does not communicate to her.4. Woman loves man5. Regardless certain problems in character and communication themselves, as a couple, go along fine.

6. Man is quite introverted; he does not display enough emotions or affection.7. Woman is indecisive; she often does not know what to do to improve their relationship.8. Communication seems to be a great problem. They both communicate more with others than with each-other.9. Man is more oriented towards carrier, income, money.

If this combination of grains appeared in the first cast of beans than analyse is interpreted in the past tense. This, in fact, interprets the relationship of partners in the past. However, if it appears in the second cast than it represents theirpresent, while in the third cast has negative connotation and may indicate problematic love relation.

When in all 3 casts of bean grains committed for love fortune telling happens that only one grain appears in one of the 3 rows that is a certain sign that concerned love wish is not going to fulfil; partners will not stay together or that the possibility of realisation of connection with the partner is very minimal.

In simpler form of divination 38 grains of white beans is used a piece of bread, one coffee 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

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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.

Text written by Raif Esmerović