Bulgarian fortune teller Vanga used to be very popular in this country and abroad. Some people even believed the woman contacted other worlds. The Vanga phenomenon was not the only one in Bulgaria, as many other people with supernatural abilities used to live back in those days. They were only careful enough to share their prophecies within a closed circle of family and friends. Writer Hristo Nanev has had the rare opportunity to meet some of the greatest fortune tellers or people that had visited them. The man has collected the wisdom and prophecies of the soothsayers in a series of 12 books. Half of those are devoted to famous Bulgarian fortune teller from the end of the 20^th century Slava Sevryukova. Nanev has also done research on the work of Lyubomir Lulchev, aka The Soothsayer of the Crown and “the secret fortune teller of Tsar Boris III”. “Each of the phenomena helped and still helps to the people with the prophecies,” Hristo Nanev says and adds:

“One curious thing is that the Bulgarian fortune tellers used to know each other – for instance Lyubomir Lulchev, Vanga on one hand and Slava Sevryukova and Peter Deunov on the other. Those mutual contacts improved the quality of their work. Each soothsayer is lonely in his or her personal life, as they are all marked by God, different from the others. For instance, Vanga and Slava Sevryukova used to call each other “sisters”. Many of Sevryukova’s oracles couldn’t be exposed to the public – those were concrete for certain areas and above all – inconvenient and embarrassing to the governing circles. She predicted a long time ago that the political model in Bulgaria would be changed. Artist Pancho Panev from Sofia recalls her question on what would happen to her if she voiced to those around her prophecy on dictator Todor Zhivkov’ s fall in 20 years’ time. In her words, the changes would bring joy to the nation, but then serious poverty would follow. It all turned out to be true, according to the artist. The close circle of Slava Sevryukova remembers her words that a person with a scar on his forehead would change the world – and that was said long before Mikhail Gorbachev’s appearance on the global political stage. Bulgaria’s EU accession and the global recession were also predicted by Sevryukova,” Hristo Nanev explains.

According to him the Bulgarians need the optimistic forecasts of their fortune tellers and phenomena, especially in years of crisis. Thus the faith in a brighter future is restored, in order for the people to go on struggling.

“Slava Sevryukova says in her prophecies that the time will come when the Bulgarian people won’t scratch the bottom anymore, but the world will once again recognize it and persons, born here will give their contribution, especially in the spheres of art and culture. In her words, “persons will be recognized even in the hateful politics”. Maybe that time is close, as the prophetess left us in 1991 and more than 20 years passed. Asked when the good rulers will appear, she answered that more than 10 governments would change before the arrival of those who would work really for Bulgaria. The options are good from this point of view, as she foresaw that in time Bulgaria would turn into the second Switzerland in Europe. It sounds ridiculous today with the current financial state of the country, but we have to be optimistic. At the same time Slava spoke of the appearance of two young leaders – a man and a woman who would have a great role for the revival of the state. She said those would be spiritual phenomena that would get the people together. That time is coming, according to those prophecies. The Bulgarians won’t become economic giants, but will be leaders via their spiritual strength and the major challenges, awaiting mankind won’t affect this country that much", writer Hristo Nanev claims, citing the words of Slava Sevryukova.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev