Nikolay Stoyanov who is one of Baba Vanga’s relatives had written a book about the prophetess. In the book he is sharing some very interesting moments from the life of the phenomenon, stories at which he was a witness, the meetings with famous people, and much more.
Nikolay Stoyanov was born in 1948. He studied Oriental Studies, and graduates Bulgarian Philology, after which he specializes in France. He worked at national radios, in movie studios, at the editor’s office of “Flame” magazine, head editor of the Bulgarian publication of the famous French tabloid – “Le Monde Diplomatique”. He is the author of 15 books on prose, 4 scripts for TV films, and numerous radio plays. He had translated from French into Bulgarian many stories and novels from different authors. His books have been published in many European countries.
He is the founder and the chairman of the international foundation “Balkanika”. He has been awarded the Vasov award, the European prize for poetic prose, the “Paris-Europe” award given to him in 2005 from the Paris municipality and EU for a contribution to the culture of United Europe.
Interview taken by Maya Paskova
– Nikolay Stoyanov, do you remember your first meeting with Baba Vanga?
Yes, I remember when my father, my aunt and I went to Baba Vanga’s wedding with Dimitar Gushterov. I know her since I was 4. Under different circumstances my family ended up living in Petrich. My very first impression about Baba Vanga, was her extraordinary white face and her closed eyelids. Year and a half later, as a result of an ordinary story I found out that she was not like the others. A relative to our family had given sugar to my grandmother so she can take it to Baba Vanga. Back at the days, taking the train to Petrich was a long travel. My grandmother couldn’t take the sugar on the same night, so she went to visit Baba Vanga tomorrow. So we both entered the room and at the door Baba Vanga had said: “Maria, this sugar that you bring me is not for the woman that gave it to you. It gives me information for you. Those candies that my best man had sent are very delicious”. I was stoned how come she knew so much. For the first time I made myself the explanation that there was some kind of mystery around Baba Vanga.
When you live nearby Baba Vanga you develop another set of sensitivity skills, and from a young age you understand that beside our world, there are other possible worlds, and there are conventions in everything. I also learned that someone is watching every step we make, and the older I get, the more I think about the miracles that area happening.
-Did Baba Vanga help her relatives?
For the first time my family asked Baba Vanga for help about a relative of ours – he was the son of one of the well-known revolutionists at the time. His name was Metodi and when he was about 16 years old, he crossed the border. He went to Greece, but he got caught and was placed in a camp. He manages to escape from the camp and comes back to Sofia, where he was locked in Kazichene, in the juvenile prison. Again he manages to escape and goes to Petrich, as he was in love with the daughter of the first secretary of the communist party in town. Finally he reaches the African union, where he marries the daughter of a big tycoon who owned one of the largest diamond mines. At one point the connection between my family and Metodi was lost. One day Baba Vanga said: “Oh, oh, I see bad news. Metodi has been killed, I see grave.” After a while we have received a letter from the Red Cross that had the testimony of a pastor who was in one cell with Metodi. He had started to help the blacks by supplying them with weapons, and they have put him on trial and locked him in prison. When he tries to escape, he was shot and killed. The pastor’s testimony did match one in one with what Baba Vanga had said.
A second time we used the help of Baba Vanga about one of my cousins. She was married to a Russian, and they were living in the Czech Republic. One night, exalted revolutionists enter their home and throw her out through the balcony – one of the many innocent victims of the Czech’s Spring. Baba Vanga had thoroughly described the scene, which again matched against the testimony of the witnesses.
– You said that your father was the best man at Baba Vanga’s wedding with Dimitar…
On the contrary of what most people have written, Baba Vanga comes to Bulgaria for the first time in 1941, when the border is opened. My aunt who found out that her cousin is in a very bad situation, took her to Petrich. Not typically for the region, a severe winter takes over, and because of the snow, Baba Vanga stays in Petrich for 6 months. This is where she meets with Dimitar. He went to ask her about his brother who was killed at the fields with a stone, when he was burying some treasure. Baba Vanga had told him: “I will tell you what happened to your brother, but you have to marry me.” There is a little detail to that story. At the moment, Dimitar was married to a beautiful woman from Petrich. I don’t know how he had the courage, but he broke the marriage, and married Baba Vanga who was 10 years older than him. He was a man of labour, but in no way spiritual who can get impressed at the phenomenal skills of Baba Vanga. He definitely had a hard time – hundreds of people were staying infront of their house each day coming to find answers to their tragedies. In addition, it might have been oppressive to live with a woman that can read your mind and every future step of yours. Eventually Dimitar started to drink, and at a fairly young age he died of cirrhosis.
- Were you a witness at some of Baba Vanga’s predictions?
When she was saying important predictions for the whole humanity, she described them with a lot of conventionality. For example: “Protect Kursk, Remember Prague”, etc.
I personally have been a witness at more humble stories. Once I remember that Dzhagarov asked me to take Baba Vanga to Sofia to read on one famous Soviet writer. She didn’t like to sleep on other beds, but she came. We were four people in the room with Baba Vanga – Dzhagarov, the writer, the secretary of International Affairs at the Union of Writers, and I. At one moment Baba Vanga said: “You are a great writer. This name that you have is not yours. You father was killed in the war when you were born. Your mother married a good man, who gave you the name”. The writer became pale and shaky: “This secret is only between my mother and me.” He gave her one gilded glass as a gift. To Dzhagarov Baba Vanga said that he has to stop drinking otherwise he will die of kidney failure. Eventually this is exactly what happened. To the secretary Baba Vanga didn’t say a word, as he was a bad man.
Baba Vanga didn’t have a mercy to women. What she would forgive men, she won’t for women. I remember one morning how she chased away a beautiful young woman, who was first in line. “You want to get a divorce, and you come to ask me. Get out of here! There is woman from Razgrad next in line. Her child is sick – she has a real problem, not you.”
– Did Baba Vanga ever help you?
I have never asked her anything about myself because I was scared. She had told me things that were rather humorous. My first mother-in-law was a daughter-in-law of a Minister. She really insisted to invite Baba Vanga at my wedding. The wedding event took place at the Journalist Club, and for a moment I had a sense of relieve as the whole attention will be on Baba Vanga. I decided to introduce her to my brother-in-law. She just nodded her head and said: “You will also have other brother-in-laws…” The very same night Baba Vanga had to visit the Government hospital and we started to look for our driver. She said: “Stop looking for him, as he is very drunk now.” She even said the exact address of the driver. The Dramatist Pancho Panchev who didn’t drink alcohol and was a vegetarian came with his car. He took us to the address that Baba Vanga had mentioned, and without a surprise we found the driver – absolutely hammered.”
I was in Petrich one day and Baba Vanga said to me: “You will travel abroad by train – be careful what you talk about in the compartment.”
I took the train to Budapest, and a minute before the train departed, a man with a business coat and a small suitcase entered in my compartment. I recalled what Baba Vanga told me, so I was very quiet – I only mentioned that I am going to Budapest, nothing else. When I was getting off the train, he introduced himself – it turned out he was working for the police.
– In your book you write about people and events that have an indirect connection with Baba Vanga. What was the Government’s attitude toward her?
Baba Vanga had many problems with the authorities before and after September 9th, 1944. To Tsar Boris she said: “You have spread around the country, but your power will shrink into a walnut shell. The world will get red”. Then she told him to remember the date – August 26. He had stood motionless, and exited Baba Vanga’s house very confused. Very similar predictions were given to the Tsar Boris from another clairvoyant – Lulchev. On August 26, Tsar Boris died.
Back at the days they also had informers, so they have locked Baba Vanga at the prison in Petrich, because she said the world will become red. My father, who was studying law at the time, went to speak with the chief of the local police and told him: “Are you crazy to believe in the words of one blind woman. The whole world will laugh at you”. After this meeting, they released my aunt. After 9th of September, the authorities got even worse and more evil with her.
– Was Baba Vanga tapped?
Yes, and she knew very well that she was recorded. Her house was full with attached microphones. When she wanted to tell someone something more special, she was asking him to go out for a walk in the garden. As she was doing phenomenal readings that could not be explained by science, at one point the authorities decided to “legalize” her work by giving her guards, and setting up organization for bookings. She was even given a salary of 136 levs (about $110) and was a Government employee of the municipality. They also allowed scientists like PhD George Lozanov and PhD Shipkovenski to examine her.
– In one of the movies dedicated on Baba Vanga, it was claimed that she had met Hitler…
In one of the last movies on her, there was one fictitious meeting with Hitler. That is an absolute nonsense. According to the producer of the movie, Baba Vanga had met with Hitler in the Rupite. She went to live in this area in 1983-1984. Hitler was long gone by that time. Her real meeting with Tsar Boris was also shown but in a very profane way. Overall this movie was very poor.
Another interesting story that is not widely spread is the meeting between Baba Vanga and Leonid Brezhnev. It was 1958 and Brezhnev was only secretary of the Central Committee. I heard the story from Sasho Abadzhiev who was a journalist as well as interpreter at the cabinet of Vulko Chervenkon – the Bulgarian prime minister at the time. For the very first time Brezhnev came to Bulgaria to attend the funeral of a notable politician and Sasho Abadzhiev was accompanying him everywhere they went. When they got on the car, and left Sofia and explosion was heard. Sasho Abadzhiev jumped infront of Brezhnev to protect him with his body. Brezhnev was so impressed that he asked to have Sasho Abadzhiev as an interpreter for all his visits to Bulgaria or when a Bulgarian delegation is visiting Moscow. So in this same year of 1958 Brezhnev went to visit Baba Vanga. He went out very exalted and happy. Three years later he confessed to Abadzhiev that Baba Vanga had told him that he will become the first man in Russia.
– Baba Vanga was close to Lyudmila Zhivkova…
Yes they were contacting each other at an occult level. After the death of Lyudmila, Baba Vanga was saying: “I can’t forgive myself that I couldn’t see this death, it wasn’t written”. Baba Vanga used to say that our destiny has been programmed and depends on the other wolrd, and our ability to change it is as large as a mustard seed.
Todor Zhivkov kept a respectful distance with Baba Vanga, but he didn’t stop her daughter to contact her. Baba Vanga had met him two times. The first time she had told him something about his guerrilla years. The second time she asked him for a favour – to get a passport so she can go to France. In her dream she had a contact with Mother Marry and she had told her that her mother from one of her previous lives wants to see her at the Notre-Dame de Paris. There was some kind of a reflection on the wall of the cathedral. Zhivkov had told her that she can go, but not with her name. She just turned around and left the room.
When I lived in France, I had visited this catholic cathedral many times but I couldn’t see any reflections on any of the walls inside. However, three years ago when I went there again I noticed some kind if images behind the altar, but I couldn’t pass through so I can get closer. Next time I went with Nikolay Yakimov who broght some powerful cameras and we did a photo session. We found something very interesting which I have described in my book. This is when I understood that we are not supposed to learn everything that is given to us.
– There are many publications from all parts of the world that list predictions supposedly made by Baba Vanga, regarding the destructive natural events, for the end of the world, etc. Did she really predict any of that?
Just like they attributed all jokes and epigrams in Sofia to Radoy Ralin, in the same way they attribute all those natural disasters to Baba Vanga. For example she didn’t predict any earthquakes in Russia. Also she didn’t predict that a third world war will start from Syria. All I know is that Baba Vanga had made Bulgaria famous and she held firmly to the good virtues. She had helped thousands of people.
– Why the church was so strict with her?
As an institution the church had not given any official answer. There were individual priests that were against Baba Vanga. Those miracles that she was doing, somehow were taking away their function. She had miracles happening every day.
One of the last miracles happened 40 days after the death of Baba Vanga. Suddenly the people that were visiting the Rupite at the time, saw an increased voltage and lighting on the fences of Baba Vanga’s house. Right above the pine tree that is near the house, they saw Baba Vanga appearing. She was with her usual kerchief and blue coat, she stayed for a few seconds and disappeared again.
