How the cup is read
You drink your Greek coffee, usually from the same side, and leave a little at the bottom. You make a silent wish, swirl the cup a little so the grounds spread, and turn it upside down onto the saucer. When it dries, the reader lifts it and looks inside.
Where each shape sits tells you when it will happen:
- Near the rim is whatever is coming soon, within days.
- The middle is for things further off, within the year.
- The bottom is the past, or something you’ve carried for a long time.
- Next to the handle are your home and your own people.
Clean, open shapes are taken as good signs. Very dark, tangled patches point to worries or obstacles.
Coffee cup symbols and their meanings
Meanings vary from place to place and from grandmother to grandmother. These are the most common:
Fish
Money and luck. The bigger the fish, the more money.
Bird
News. Flying upwards it’s good news, flying downwards it needs care.
Road
A journey or a change. A straight road means an easy trip, a crooked one has obstacles.
Ring
Commitment, engagement or marriage. A closed ring means a steady relationship.
Snake
An enemy or envy. Near the rim, it’s someone close to you.
Eye
A glance, envy, the evil eye. Tradition says it needs a xematiasma.
Heart
Love and romance. A whole heart is a love that lasts.
Tree
Health, long life and a growing family.
House
A change at home: a move, a purchase or peace in the family.
Key
A solution to a problem, an opportunity or a new job.
Boat
A trip by sea, or news from far away.
Star
Success and luck. Whatever you start will go well.
Moon
Romance, but also indecision. A half moon means something is left unfinished.
Cross
A difficulty that passes, or protection from above.
Ladder
Progress and promotion, step by step.
Letter
The initial of a name. Someone with this letter will play a part in your life.
Dots
Lots of small dots mean money on its way.
Mountain
An obstacle or a big goal. If there’s a road over it, you’ll get past it.
Cloud
Worry or doubt, which leaves the way it came.
Envelope
News, a letter or papers on their way.
Anchor
Stability and security, at work or in love.
Umbrella
Protection. A closed umbrella is a difficulty you’ll face on your own.
Flower
Joy, celebration and love in bloom.
Crown
Honour, recognition and success.
Knife
A quarrel or a break-up. It cuts something that isn’t good for you.
Cat
False friendship or cunning. Someone isn’t what they seem.
Door
A new opportunity or a change of circumstances.
Plane
A long journey, or a change that comes fast.
The thumbprint at the bottom
At the end you press your thumb into the bottom of the cup, for the wish you made. If the print comes out clean, the wish will come true. If it blurs or fills with grounds, it needs more time. The timing usually comes in threes: three days, three weeks or three months.
Who reads the cup
Folk belief says you don’t read your own cup, someone else does. Usually a grandmother, an aunt or the friend in the group who “has the gift”. Coffee reading is a game and a chat around the table, not a prediction. Whatever comes out, you take it with a sense of humour.
At Ftou Ftou, Kyra Ourania reads the cup, the same Kyra Ourania who does the xematiasma. If an eye shows up in your cup, you know where to find her.