Fafi Dream Guide
The Fafi Dream Guide is one of the clearest examples of how culture, superstition and gambling blend into a single living tradition. In South African townships, Fafi – also known as MoChina or the Chinese Lottery – is a numbers game where players convert their dreams into numbers and then bet on those numbers in informal or online draws.
Instead of picking random digits, players use a dream guide: a list where each number is linked to specific symbols such as animals, people, objects and events. When they wake from a vivid dream, they break it into symbols, look them up in the Fafi Dream Guide, and let those symbols decide which numbers to play.
In this review, we take a deep look at what the Fafi Dream Guide is, how it works, how players actually use it for betting, and where its strengths and limitations lie. One section is left open on purpose so you can insert your own table of Fafi dream animals and their numbers.
What Is the Fafi Dream Guide?
The Fafi Dream Guide is essentially a dream-to-number dictionary. Each Fafi number is associated with a cluster of images and ideas: people, animals, actions, places and objects.
Examples of how entries work conceptually:
- A single number might stand for a king, white man, human blood and the left eye.
- Another number might group together lion, thief, big stick and chickens.
- A different one might be linked to gold money, a snake, and a particular kind of woman.
When a player has a striking dream, they:
- Identify the main symbols.
- Check which numbers those symbols belong to in the Fafi Dream Guide.
- Use those numbers in a Fafi-style game or Lucky Numbers lottery.
This turns the dream guide into both a cultural artefact and a practical tool for picking “lucky” numbers.
How the Fafi Dream Guide Works
Although Fafi has a lot of history and folklore around it, the basic mechanics of the Fafi Dream Guide are very straightforward. The system is built around a simple pipeline: dream → symbols → numbers → bet.
Step 1: Dream and Recall
It all starts with a dream – usually one that feels very emotional, weird, or memorable. For example, you might dream that:
- There was a car accident near the sea.
- A lion chased you into a graveyard.
- You were talking to a king, a policeman or a doctor.
- You saw snakes, pigs, rabbits, dogs or other animals.
When you wake up, the first task is simply to remember and write down what happened, focusing on the strongest images.
Step 2: Breaking the Dream Into Symbols
Next, you break your dream into a set of clear symbols. Common categories include:
- People: king, old man, white man, woman, policeman, doctor, baby
- Animals: lion, dog, snake, pig, rabbit, cow, bird, etc.
- Events: accident, fight, funeral, storm, wedding, nightmare
- Objects and places: money, house, knife, grave, river, church, hospital
You do not need every tiny detail; instead you pick two to five main symbols that truly stand out.
Step 3: Matching Symbols to Fafi Numbers
Once you have a short list of symbols, you look them up in the Fafi Dream Guide. Each number is associated with one or more symbols, so you might find that:
- “Accident” and “sea water” both point to the same number.
- “Lion” and “thief” share another number.
- “Newborn baby” and “medicine” belong under a third number.
You then collect the numbers connected to your dream symbols. When multiple symbols from the same dream point to the same number, many players see that as a strong sign to choose that number.
Step 4: Turning Numbers Into Bets
Finally, you use these Fafi numbers to place bets:
- In traditional township Fafi, you might choose one or a few numbers and hope that your number is drawn by the local host or runner.
- In modern Lucky Numbers games, you might choose a combination of several dream numbers in an official lottery-style draw.
Some people place a bet just once, immediately after a strong dream. Others keep playing the same dream numbers across several draws, especially if similar themes repeat in their dreams night after night.
Fafi Dream Guide Animals and Numbers
| Number | Symbol |
|---|---|
| 1 | King; Human blood; White man; Left eye |
| 2 | Monkey; Native; A Spirit; Chief; Copper; Money; Jockey |
| 3 | Sea water; Accident; Frog; Sailor; Sex |
| 4 | Dead man; Turkey; Small fortune; Bed |
| 5 | Tiger; Fight; Strong man |
| 6 | Ox blood; Gentleman; Milk |
| 7 | Lion; Thief; Big stick; Chickens |
| 8 | Pig; Drunken man; Loafer; Fat man; Chinese king |
| 9 | Moon; Baby; Hole; Owl; Devil; Pumpkin; Anything round |
| 10 | Eggs; Train; Boat; Grave; Anything oval |
| 11 | Carriage; Wood; Tree; Furniture; Bicycle; Flowers |
| 12 | Dead woman; Ducks; Small fire; Chinese queen |
| 13 | Big fish; Ghosts; Spirits |
| 14 | Old woman; Fox; Detective; Nurse; Native woman |
| 15 | Bad woman; Prostitute; Canary; White horse; Small knife |
| 16 | Small house; Coffin; Pigeon; Young woman; Paper money; Letter |
| 17 | Diamond woman; Queen; Pearls; Diamond; Stars; White woman |
| 18 | Silver money; Servant girl; Right eye; Butterfly; Hook; Rain |
| 19 | Little girl; Smoke; Bread; Big bird; Left hand |
| 20 | Cat; Sky; Handkerchief; Body; Music; Minister; Naked woman |
| 21 | Old man; Stranger; Fisherman; Elephant; Knife; Nose; Teeth |
| 22 | Rats; Motor car; Big ship; Left foot; Shoes |
| 23 | Horse; Doctor; Head; Hair; Crown |
| 24 | Mouth; Wild cat; Vixen; Lioness; Hole; Purse |
| 25 | Big house; Church; Boxer; Hospital |
| 26 | Bees; Crown; Bad man; Bush; General; Funeral; Madman |
| 27 | Dog; Policeman; Newborn baby; Medicine; Sad news |
| 28 | Sardines; Small fish; Thief; Right foot; Surprise; Small child |
| 29 | Small water; Coffin; Rain; Tears; Big knife; Right hand |
| 30 | Fowl; Graveyard; Sun; Throat; Indian; Forest |
| 31 | Big fire; Bishop; Big spirit; Feathers; Fight; Woman |
| 32 | Gold money; Dirty woman; Snake |
| 33 | Little boy; Spider |
| 34 | Meat; Human dung; Anything dirty; Cripple; Tramp |
| 35 | Clothes; Sheep; Big hole; Big grave |
| 36 | Shrimp; Stick; Admiral; Cigars; Gum |
| 37 | Arrow; Lawyer; Treasure; Cooking; Stream |
| 38 | Crocodile; Balloons; Sjambok; Fireworks; Stadium |
| 39 | Sangoma; Soccer team; Tattoos; Bloodshed; Teacher |
| 40 | Birth; Clock; Snail; Dwarf; River; Traditional healer |
| 41 | Cattle; Planets; Cave; Desert; Monster |
| 42 | Tornado; Spear; Umbrella; Camel; Door |
| 43 | Army; Thunder; Astronaut; Rabbit; Turtle |
| 44 | Shark; Stud farm; Body builder; Injury; Mud |
| 45 | Football; Computers; Jewelry; Wrestler; Storm |
| 46 | Ambulance; Beard; Sea sand; Scissors; Key |
| 47 | Stallion; Kite; TV; Lightning; Carnival; Hut |
| 48 | Clown; Rainbow; Nightmare; Whale; Wealth |
| 49 | Shebeen; Circus; Chocolate; Space ship |
| 50 | Bathroom; Magic; Revolution; Trap; Wheat |
| 51 | Car; Carrot; Orange; Vulture; Wasp |
| 52 | Brush; Eagle; Salon; Shower; Trumpet |
How to Use Fafi Dream Numbers for Betting
Knowing the Fafi dream animals and symbols is only half the story. The other half is how players actually use those numbers when placing bets.
Keep a Dream Journal
Regular Fafi players often keep a dream diary. As soon as they wake up, they jot down:
- The people and animals they saw.
- Key actions (running, falling, fighting, drowning, etc.).
- Strong feelings (fear, relief, happiness).
This habit makes it easier to spot recurring patterns: maybe snakes appear repeatedly, or you often dream of funerals or policemen.
Focus on Strong Symbols
Not every small object deserves its own number. To make Fafi dream betting more consistent:
- Focus on the two to five symbols that felt most intense.
- Give extra weight to animals that frightened you, people who stood out, or dramatic events (like accidents or funerals).
- Treat repeated symbols over several nights as especially important.
This keeps your Fafi number selection grounded in the dream rather than in forced interpretation.
Look Up and Combine Numbers
Once you have your list of dream symbols, you look them up in your Fafi Dream Guide and note the numbers. From there you can:
- Choose the number that appears most often across your symbols.
- Build small combinations of two or three numbers that feel most meaningful.
- Mix Fafi numbers with your own personal lucky numbers (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) if the game allows multiple picks.
The goal is not to “solve” the draw but to create a betting pattern that feels coherent and meaningful to you.
Decide How Long to Play the Dream
Some players believe dream numbers are strongest on the same day or the next draw. Others play them repeatedly for a fixed period. A balanced approach is to:
- Set a fixed budget for how much you’ll risk on that dream.
- Decide how many draws you’ll use those numbers.
- Stop once you hit your budget or your draw limit, regardless of wins or losses.
That way, the dream remains a fun ritual rather than a reason to keep chasing results.
History and Origins of Fafi and the Dream Guide Tradition
The Fafi Dream Guide did not appear out of nowhere. It sits at the intersection of Chinese-origin gambling games and African dream traditions.
Chinese Gambling Roots
Historically, Fafi is believed to have roots in Chinese gambling games brought to South Africa by Chinese immigrants. Over time, these games evolved into a local numbers game played in the townships. The nickname MoChina reflects this Chinese connection.
Township Culture and Dream Beliefs
As the game spread through South African townships, it blended with local belief systems. Dreams were already viewed as meaningful – as messages, warnings or spiritual signs. Attaching a dream-interpretation system to a numbers game was a natural cultural evolution.
The result was a dream-based betting tradition:
- Numbers are not just digits; they are stories.
- Each Fafi number collects images from everyday township life: policemen, funerals, kings, animals, storms, money.
- Players gossip about which numbers “came from which dream,” and success stories fuel the belief.
From Street Game to Online Guides
Originally, Fafi was played informally: a runner would collect bets around the township; a host would later announce a winning number, and winners were paid out in cash. Today, a version of this dream-to-number logic has moved online:
- Bookmakers offer Lucky Numbers games that can be played using Fafi-style dream numbers.
- Websites publish their own Fafi Dream Guides, often in table format or as downloadable PDFs.
- Some guides synchronise Fafi numbers with mainstream lottery draws, so players can use their dream numbers in regulated lotteries.
In other words, the Fafi Dream Guide has travelled from street corners to smartphone screens, but its core idea remains unchanged.
Popular Fafi Dream Symbols and Their Meanings
Certain Fafi symbols appear so often that they have become staples of the tradition. While the main focus is always the number, many players also think about what the symbols “mean” in everyday life.
Some typical examples:
- Kings, white men, human blood – authority, power, vulnerability.
- Lions, thieves, big sticks, chickens – danger, strength, conflict and caution.
- Snakes, dirty or suspicious characters, gold money – temptation, risk, sudden profit or betrayal.
- Funerals, graveyards, dead men and women – endings, fear, transformation, or important changes.
- Babies, newborns, small houses – beginnings, vulnerability, family and home.
These clusters of imagery give the Fafi Dream Guide a storytelling quality; each number encodes not just a set of images, but a piece of township life, with its struggles, hopes and humour.
Fafi Dream Guide vs General Lucky Numbers Dream Guides
There are many dream-to-number systems in the world, but Fafi has a personality of its own.
Similarities
Both Fafi Dream Guides and general Lucky Numbers Dream Guides:
- Translate dream symbols into numbers.
- Are used for lottery-style betting.
- Often present their content as lists, tables or A–Z dream dictionaries.
Differences
Fafi stands out in a few key ways:
- It is tightly connected to a specific township gambling tradition, not just generic lotteries.
- Its symbols and stories are rooted in South African daily life rather than global imagery.
- Many Fafi guides focus on a fixed, limited range of numbers (e.g. 1–36 or 1–52), making the system feel compact and familiar to regular players.
Because of this, Fafi Dream Guides have a distinctive local flavour that general dream books often lack.
Tips for Interpreting Your Dreams for Fafi Numbers
If you want to use a Fafi Dream Guide seriously – or at least consistently – a few simple guidelines help:
- Write dreams down immediately so you don’t lose important details.
- Identify one or two “main stories” in the dream rather than every small object.
- Choose the clearest symbols first (animals, obvious people, strong events).
- Let repetition matter: if the same animal or scenario appears many times over weeks, treat that number as important to you.
- Don’t force it: if your dream doesn’t match the list perfectly, choose the closest symbol rather than bending things just to hit a favourite number.
This gives your use of the Fafi Dream Guide a bit of structure without killing the magic.
Common Mistakes When Using the Fafi Dream Guide
Alongside its charm, Fafi dream betting comes with real risks and common errors.
- Treating dreams as guarantees. A powerful dream does not mean the number will win.
- Betting too much on one dream. Overconfidence leads to chasing losses and blowing your budget.
- Reading the guide backwards. Some players start from a number they like and then “invent” a dream to match it; this removes the whole point of dream interpretation.
- Ignoring randomness. Every draw is random; no symbol or tradition changes the underlying odds.
Keeping these pitfalls in mind helps you enjoy the tradition without letting it harm your finances.
Responsible Gambling with Fafi Dream Numbers
Finally, it is important to remember that Fafi and Lucky Numbers are gambling. Dream guides do not remove risk.
If you choose to use Fafi dream numbers:
- Set a clear budget that you can comfortably afford to lose.
- Decide how much and how often you will play before you start.
- See the game as entertainment, not as an income strategy or a way out of debt.
- Step back and seek help if gambling starts to affect your mood, relationships or financial stability.
Used within these limits, the Fafi Dream Guide can remain what it is at its best: a colourful, story-filled way to turn your dreams into playful, symbolic numbers – a mix of culture, imagination and chance, rather than a source of pressure or harm.