October 3, 2026 marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Vangelia Pandeva Gushterova – Vanga. Decades after her death in 1996, interest in her personality has not subsided, and her name continues to be known far beyond the borders of Bulgaria.
A special program has been organized today in the Rupite area near Petrich to mark the anniversary. A solemn liturgy will be celebrated at 11:00 in the church of “St. Petka of Bulgaria“. At 12:00, a speech about Vanga is scheduled, followed by a musical greeting, and from 12:30 in the ritual hall of the “Vanga“ Foundation, the book “Vangelia“ by Zheni Kostadinova will be presented, BTA reported, citing the chairman of the foundation Ivan Dramov.
From Strumica to Rupite
Vanga was born on October 3, 1911 in Strumica, then within the Ottoman Empire, today in North Macedonia. Her birth name was Vangelia Pandeva Surcheva. Her mother died when she was still a small child, and her early years were spent in poverty and trials.
One of the defining moments in her biography was the loss of her eyesight. According to stories about her life as a child, she fell into a strong storm and was carried away by a whirlwind. Later, she was found in a field with seriously damaged eyes. Her eyesight gradually deteriorated and she remained blind. She subsequently studied at a school for the blind in Zemun, where she learned the Braille alphabet.
It was around this dramatic incident that many stories about her extraordinary abilities later arose. During the years of World War II, Vanga began to become famous. People came to her looking for information about their missing or deceased relatives. Gradually, her fame spread outside the Petrich region, and later outside Bulgaria.
Dimitar Gushterov changes her life
In 1942, Vangelia married Dimitar Gushterov from the Petrich village of Krandzhilitsa and settled in Petrich. Their family home was built in 1947. It was there that Vanga spent a large part of her life and received countless visitors. Today the house is a museum and houses her personal belongings, furniture, photographs and objects related to her daily life.
Dimitar Gushterov died in 1962. The couple had no biological children, but according to the “Vanga“ Foundation, she provided maternal care for Veneta Mitreva and Dimitar Valchev.
Over the years, people from all walks of life began to come to Vanga. Among her visitors were ordinary families, but also famous representatives of culture, sports and public life. Photographs of her with personalities such as Nevena Kokanova, Svetlin Rusev, Neshka Robeva and Patriarch Maxim have been preserved.
Rupite - the place that remained forever associated with Vanga
The last years of Vanga's life are inextricably linked with Rupite – the area near Petrich, which after her death became a place visited by people from Bulgaria and abroad.
In 1994, the temple „St. Petka of Bulgaria“ was built there. The same year, the „Vanga“ Foundation was established, among whose founders, in addition to her, are Acad. Svetlin Rusev, Prof. Toncho Zhechev, Yordan Radichkov, Neshka Robeva, Nevena Kokanova and other famous public and cultural figures.
Today, the complex in Rupite includes the temple, the house where Vanga received visitors, a monastery part and an exhibition hall. Books, paintings, icons, photographs and other objects related to her life are kept there. The foundation manages a total of about 230 acres in the area.
Prophecies and legends
The biggest mystery surrounding Vanga remains the predictions attributed to her. Over the decades, hundreds of prophecies have been spread in her name - about wars, natural disasters, political changes, the fate of famous people and even events decades after her death.
Here, however, myths must be distinguished from verifiable facts. A large part of the sensational “Vanga's predictions“, which appear in the media and social networks every year, do not have a reliable source or document proving that they were actually uttered by her. It is the lack of systematic written records during her lifetime that has allowed legends to accumulate around her name over the years.
However, this does not change the enormous public influence of Vangelia Gushterova. For some, she remains a prophetess with an inexplicable gift, for others - an extremely insightful person, able to sense the fears and hopes of her visitors, and for others - a cultural phenomenon whose influence must be considered throughout the history and psychology of the 20th century.
Vanga died in 1996.
Vangelia Gushterova died on August 11, 1996 at the age of 84. By her wish, her legacy remains connected to Petrich and Rupite. Her home in Petrich has been turned into a museum, and the complex in Rupite still attracts numerous visitors today.
Thirty years after her death, interest in Vanga remains unusually strong. Books continue to be published about her, films and documentaries are made, and her name periodically appears in international media.
On the 115th anniversary of her birth, however, behind all the legends remains the story of a blind girl from Strumica, who went through poverty, wars and personal tragedies, and subsequently became one of the most recognizable Bulgarian personalities in the world.
Sources: BTA; „Vanga“ Foundation