Fāl-gūsh or fāl-gōsh is the act of standing in a dark corner spot or behind a fence and listening to the conversations of passersby and trying to interpret their statements or the subject of their dialogue as an answer to one's questions. Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ians believe that certain days are especially good for divination. During the last Wednesday of the year, called Čahāršanba-sūrī

Chaharshanbe Suri

The last Wednesday of the Iranian year known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori , the eve of which is marked by special customs and rituals, most notably jumping over fire...

; divination

Divination

Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...

, especially by listening to the conversations of the passers by and interpreting that which is heard (fālgūš) as a sign is quite common. Fortunetellers, (fālgīr), who are mostly gypsies, are still active in some parts of Iran.