Quote Originally Posted by RagnaToad View Post
I really disagree. A funeral is a ceremony, but it's hardly a celebration. If you're going to be all theoretial maybe, but even then. I don't think every ceremony can be seen as a festivity. We do not celebrate that he is dead, we try to make the best of the mourning process (i.e. funeral).
I'm a Catholic (yes, but a very liberal one), and to me, and many others, a funeral is a celebration. We mourn the passing of our loved one, and the fact that we won't see them again for the time being is a terrible feeling. So we are sad. BUT, if one is to believe in an afterlife, then for one to die and go to Heaven (in whatever shape or form) is an event to be celebrated.

You cannot deny that a funeral in Western countries are based on this tradition. So even though, to the non-religious (and, to an extent, the religious) a funeral is sad. It is still technically a celebration.