It happens when people socialize in homes and in restaurants. Most of the time, it's just for fun, although some take it seriously. Coffee cup fortunetelling is called fleetsani. It's prohibited by the church because those things were exercised by witches, by pagans. The practice dates back thousands of years to the Byzantine Empire, the priest said.
Locals say a Greek woman living near the Sponge Docks once told fortunes from coffee cups.
People paid money to hear their past, present and future. But the woman quit after Theophilopoulos scolded her. It's insight and premonition. The best time to read is during a new or full moon, Psomas said. The darker the pattern inside the cup, the worse the fortune.