Funerals..............?

it's both.

It is said that funerals offer 'closure' for the family (this may have been said by the mortuary society so I don't know...lol). There are people at a funeral who have had many different types of relationships with the deceased, and some of them are not what we would call 'intimate' or 'close' relationships. I believe that for the most part attendees think of it as showing respect for not only the deceased but as a show of support for the family in their loss. A close family member does NOT say goodbye at the funeral. You can ask anyone who has lost a close loved one and they will tell you that the hardest days are after the funeral is over and people have gone on with their day to day lives, and you are left alone with your grief.

Seeing as I don't respect every person who's funeral I attended, I'd say it's to say goodbye.

For family & friends to say goodbye, & respect & love but sometimes people go to funerals in my town out of respect for that family member, even if they didn't know them so well they would have known their family.......... in small towns here in Ireland hundreds of people would show up to show their respect, it is very comforting to the family also & many go to say their goodbye's........ I went through my mum's funeral last year in a kind of shocked daze but saw so many people hadn't seen in many years & it was lovely, found it very comforting .........

I believe a funeral is to celebrate a person's life.

To say goodbye if you knew the person well, or pay respect if you weren't that close

I think funerals are overrated. They last way too long.

And to answer, more to say goodbye and also for the family/friends to comfort each other and know they're not alone even though they've lost someone.

some thing nobody whats to go to, but we go to say goodby and pay respect.

i'd say both, unless the person doesn't deserve to be respected. they usually do unless they have done something bad

So hypocrites can placate their guilt.

to say 'until we meet again'