The funeral meets the bereaved's need for support. Death throws people into despair and depression by separating them from one who has provided love, companionship, and security. The funeral and our funeral customs provide the means by which those close to him can give their support and share their suffering.
The funeral period provides for the expression of sorrow. Only through talking out the past can the bereaved person realize the extent of the relationship with the deceased and accept the loss and suffering. Only through weeping and talking to good listeners can they release their grief and their feelings of guilt and hostility. Experts in grief therapy believe that grief can be expressed best through rites, rituals and ceremonies. The ceremony deals primarily with intellectual concepts and doesn't fully engage the bereaved's feelings in the patterns of community support which are psychologically beneficial. Flowers though express the inexpressible - they are symbolic.
People have traditionally expressed their respect for the dead and sympathy for the bereaved by sending flowers. This custom is one of longstanding and it has served people as a means through which they can express their feelings.
There are three points to be stressed finally in connection which the tradition of funeral flowers. First, the role of flowers are both symbolic and aesthetic. They add great value to the richness and meaning of the ritual.
Second, flowers represent sympathy extended to the bereaved. Third, flowers are sent both to the living and the dead. Flowers are sent to the living as comfort and they are sent as tokens of respect for the deceased.