[sph]

Good observation. As someone raised in a Catholic country, I am still weirded out by the Protestant idea to get together after a funeral to mourn, mingle and eat. (I'm not even sure what you call that)

In my mind mourning is a very private and too sad an event to have people around, and there is bound to be cultures where mourning is cause to celebrate, have fun, and enjoy life in all of its beauty.

[Vedor]

That's interesting.

I was born and raised in Poland, a Catholic country, and we do gather after the funeral to mourn and eat together. However, apparently this custom dates back to Slavic times – this may explain the difference between our experiences.

[sph]

And I'm from Italy. Perhaps it's not a religious difference, but just cultural.

[com]

In English, the social event of mourning with others often with food, drink and sometimes even song, is often called a “wake”.

[egometry]

The "Irish Wake" is this... but _before_ the funeral.

And Ireland is VERY Catholic.