It refers to a small part or amount of money, part of an object of value, which was used as a silver coin, it was a measure of contribution or economic payment for something determined or towards a cause, since it represents a coin of little denomination value, comes from ancient Greece and is equivalent to one sixth of a drachma, is part of a popular belief.
It was formerly believed that the dead should be placed before burying a coin in each eye or one under the tongue, this is to pay for their pass to the afterlife, in Greek mythology it is believed that it should be paid to Charon, the manager of Hades' boat, two coins to be transferred from one port to another in the underworld, these wandering souls who were not given these coins remain waiting, on the shore of the river Acheron for a hundred years, with the hope that Charon would deign to transfer them to the other side of the river without charging them the obols.
It is a Greek word with variations in its translation and meaning since it represents a coin of little value from metal spits, using it as a means of exchange in negotiations, hence it will be used as donations, tithes, payments or alms, The most representative example today is the Obolus of Saint Peter, which refers to the largest and most important collection in history, since the Diocese and Catholic Christians from around the world donate money to the Vatican to help the work of the POPE, this world collection is made on June 29 of each year carried out by all the churches worldwide; It has its origin from remote time in the past centuries in England, as a papal tax, a tax that was applied to landowners, today it is a voluntary donation this collection or amount collected is delivered from the hand of the Bishop in charge in the form of a check By visiting the PAPA directly, a donation that must be made in dollars, this Obolo de San Pedro has raised close to seventy million dollars, between forty million euros and about six million peseta a year.
