Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji (EP)

Panaji, Nov 2: While Catholics in Goa pray for the eternal repose of their departed, there are some who offer masses for strangers this month. It is said that the practice called pensao started with conversion of Hindus to Christianity. Pensao meaning pension is called by some as periodical payment or perpetual condition but some believe that it is a curse.

The obligation rests on properties. If the obligation is not fulfilled, there can be curses such as frequent or recurring illnesses, unexpected deaths or mental illness. Most of the people who do not know how they inherited the property, sell them when they face problems. There are others who abandon them and move away without even plucking fruits from trees in the property.

The Portuguese government in 1759 closed the society of Jesus in Salcete and seized their properties. The other religious orders were closed in 1835. As the government had too many properties, they auctioned them but the obligation attached to them remained.