Solidarity with the living is the whole point of the funeral.

Well, you could argue that's most of the point.

Remember, though, there are funerals where only one person attends. And publicly acknowledging one's loss - even if it only consists of going to a building with strangers and posting an obituary - can be one of the most important steps in processing grief for some people.

+1

You're showing the other grieving people that you care about them

It's certainly a large part of it. There was a recent Cantonese movie that featured this as one of the themes, it's well worth a watch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Dance_(2024_film)

I went to a friends mothers funeral to support him and to pay my respects. However, his brother who had a fractious relationship with his siblings did not. I can't tell you how many relatives viewed his absence negatively.

That's a shame, I'd like to think I would not judge someone for their decisions on something like that, having not walked any miles in their shoes.